Bless This Mess: A Southern True Crime Podcast

Bless This Mess
  • 4.6 (736)
  • True Crime
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Bless This Mess: A Southern True Crime Podcast, where the tea is sweet but the history is dark. We are a husband and wife team from Louisiana serving up murder, mystery, and mayhem from across the southern states. Pull up a rocking chair, fill your mason jar with sweet tea (or something a little stronger), and sit for a spell on the porch with us. We dive deep into each case, taking turns sharing the story, but there's always room for some husband-and-wife banter and a few well-placed f-bombs along the way. If you love true crime but prefer we get straight to the point without the porch chit-chat, check out our weekly A Little Less Mess episodes—same cases, trimmed down and focused on the facts. Want even more time on the porch? Join “The Porch Crew” over on our Patreon! Upgrade your sweet tea to something stronger and get early ad-free episodes, our exclusive Friday bonus hangouts (Sittin', Sippin', & Bullshittin'), and even your very own official Porch Crew mason jar.

  1. 3h ago

    [Florida] Mother Knows Best

    Grab your mason jars and pull up a rocker as Cara and Stew head to South Florida to unpack the wild true story behind the 1997 movie Mother Knows Best. When Lauderhill retiree Lee Goldsmith secretly placed a classified ad to find her daughter a wealthy bachelor, she never imagined her daughter would fall for David Brownstein, a hardworking, blue-collar air-conditioning repairman. Consumed by spite and years of family estrangement, Lee took matters into her own hands by trying to hire a hitman straight from her living room—sparking an undercover Broward County Sheriff’s sting inside a luxury Cadillac and a sensational trial that stunned the nation. Find us on the webs! Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook TikTok - @blessthismesspodcast Support us on Patreon - for early access, ad-free, and Porch Crew perks! Buy us a Coffee! - one time support to keep the porch lights on Rate, Review, and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or where you listen! Music courtesy of Blanche Sources Tampa Bay Times Archives (1990): "Murder-for-hire case opens: Woman accused of trying to have son-in-law killed" (Jan 23, 1990).South Florida Sun Sentinel Archives (1989–1995): "The Old Lady and the Hit Man" (May 1990); "Grandma in Murder Plot to Be Freed" (June 1995); trial coverage by regional correspondents.Orlando Sentinel Archives (1990–1993): "Lee Goldsmith, In Jail for Hiring a Hit Man" (Jan 1993); "Shoot My Son-In-Law, Please!" (July 1990).Broward County Circuit Court Records (1989–1990): State of Florida v. Lee Goldsmith, Case No. 89-003661CF10A (Solicitation to Commit First-Degree Murder).

  2. 3d ago

    A Little Less Mess: The Murder of Maria Ridulph [Illinois]

    On a freezing December evening in 1957, seven-year-old Maria Ridulph was playing under the streetlights of Sycamore, Illinois, when a friendly young man offering piggyback rides vanished with her into the winter dark. The disappearance triggered an unprecedented nationwide manhunt that drew personal attention from J. Edgar Hoover and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, only to end months later when Maria’s remains were discovered deep in a rural wooded ravine. Find us on the webs! Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook TikTok - @blessthismesspodcast Support us on Patreon - for early access, ad-free, and Porch Crew perks! Buy us a Coffee! - one time support to keep the porch lights on Rate, Review, and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or where you listen! Music courtesy of Blanche Sources The National Registry of Exonerations: Jack McCullough Case Summary & Exoneration Record The Innocence Project: llinois Prosecutor Seeks Justice Amid Decades-Old Wrongful Conviction (DeKalb County Review) CNN Special Investigative Series: Taken: Coldest Case Ever Solved (Reporting by David Fitzpatrick & Drew Griffin) The Chicago Tribune / Associated Press Archives: Sycamore Community Coverage, 1957 Abduction Searches, and 2012 Trial Records DeKalb County Circuit Court: State of Illinois v. Jack McCullough (2016 Conviction Vacatur & 2017 Certificate of Innocence Filings)

    A Little Less Mess: The Murder of Maria Ridulph [Illinois]

  3. Sep 24

    [North Carolina] Bitter Blood Murders

    Grab your mason jars and pull up a rocker as Cara and Stew unpack one of the most chilling multi-generational tragedies in Southern history. What began as a contentious custody battle between a prominent Winston-Salem socialite and her dentist ex-husband spiraled into an apocalyptic nightmare when she fell under the spell of her first cousin—a survivalist masquerading as a CIA operative and medical doctor. Find us on the webs! Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook TikTok - @blessthismesspodcast Support us on Patreon - for early access, ad-free, and Porch Crew perks! Buy us a Coffee! - one time support to keep the porch lights on Rate, Review, and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or where you listen! Music courtesy of Blanche Sources Bledsoe, Jerry. Bitter Blood: A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder (Onyx / Dutton, 1988) North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Historical Crime Archives: The Bizarre "Bitter Blood" Murders Greensboro News & Record, Investigative Archives & Highway 150 Incident Reports (1984–1985) Winston-Salem Journal, Valley Road Homicide Files & SBI Case Summaries Kentucky State Police, Oldham County / Prospect Double Homicide Investigative Files

  4. Sep 22

    A Little Less Mess: Blood Under the Crabapple Tree [New Jersey]

    Grab your mason jars and pull up a rocker as Cara steps outside the South for a solo trip back to the autumn of 1922. In an overgrown lovers’ lane outside New Brunswick, New Jersey, the bodies of an aristocratic Episcopal priest and his married choir leader were found staged beneath a crabapple tree, surrounded by their torn-up secret love letters and a grotesque calling card. What followed became the country's first true media circus. From a high-society widow with millions on the line to an eccentric witness known as the "Pig Woman" testifying from a hospital bed wheeled into the courtroom, this century-old double homicide remains one of the most scandalous, theatrical, and baffling unsolved mysteries in American history.  Find us on the webs! Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook TikTok - @blessthismesspodcast Support us on Patreon - for early access, ad-free, and Porch Crew perks! Buy us a Coffee! - one time support to keep the porch lights on Rate, Review, and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or where you listen! Music courtesy of Blanche Sources  - The Hall-Mills Murder Case (Historical Trial Transcripts & New Jersey State Police Archives) - The New York Times, Contemporary Investigative Archives (1922–1926) - New York Daily Mirror, Grand Jury & Somerville Court Coverage - William Kunstler, *The Minister and the Choir Singer: The Hall-Mills Murder Case (William Morrow & Co.)

    A Little Less Mess: Blood Under the Crabapple Tree [New Jersey]

  5. Sep 17

    [Georgia] The Body in the Burn Pile

    In July 2018, prominent 58-year-old corporate attorney Gary Farris vanished from his family’s ten-acre farm on Purcell Lane in Cherokee County, Georgia. Days later, his charred remains were discovered in an outdoor burn pile near the house. While initial explanations suggested Gary had suffered a dizzy spell and accidentally collapsed into the flames, the case turned into a homicide investigation when pathologists discovered a .38-caliber bullet lodged inside his rib. Find us on the webs! Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook TikTok - @blessthismesspodcast Support us on Patreon - for early access, ad-free, and Porch Crew perks! Buy us a Coffee! - one time support to keep the porch lights on Rate, Review, and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or where you listen! Music courtesy of Blanche Sources:- Cherokee County District Attorney's Office (Case Records & Conviction Release, November 2024)  - Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Incident & Investigation Files  - Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Forensic Ballistics & Crime Lab Reports  - Court TV: GA v. Melody Walker Farris (Full 18-Day Trial Coverage, Testimony & Exhibits)  - CBS News 48 Hours: Investigative Coverage on the Gary Farris Case

  6. Sep 14

    A Little Less Mess: The Circleville Letters [Ohio]

    Beginning in 1977, anonymous letters terrorized Circleville, Ohio, accusing residents of affairs, crimes, and private secrets. School-bus driver Mary Gillispie and her family became the main targets. After her husband died in a mysterious crash, the threats escalated—and a booby-trapped sign with a loaded gun led to her brother-in-law’s conviction. But the letters continued after he went to prison. In this A Little Less Mess minisode, Cara follows one of America’s strangest unsolved anonymous-letter mysteries. Support the show Listen to our Monday minisode A Little Less Mess right here on the main feed.  Hang out with us on Patreon for The Weekly Pour on the Porch and Sittin’, Sippin’, & Bullshittin’. Please rate and review, subscribe, and follow us on social media for case updates, what's in our mason jars, true crime documentary recommendations, and Southern suppers. Search @blessthismesspodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Sources: CBS News 48 Hours: The Circleville Letters: You’ve Got Hate Mail 48 Hours: The Circleville Letters reporting and document-analysis coverage

    A Little Less Mess: The Circleville Letters [Ohio]

  7. Sep 11

    [Alabama] The Murder of Charlotte Waites

    In August 1998, beloved teacher Charlotte Waites was found brutally murdered inside her Lanett, Alabama home, with the crime scene staged to look like a robbery gone wrong. Her husband, the town’s interim mayor, claimed to be devastated—but behind closed doors lay a dark trail of secret debts, control, and betrayal. Nearly a decade passed before the couple’s own daughters came forward to help finally bring their father to justice.  Support the show Listen to our Monday minisode A Little Less Mess right here on the main feed.    Hang out with us on Patreon for The Weekly Pour on the Porch and Sittin’, Sippin’, & Bullshittin’. Please rate and review, subscribe, and follow us on social media for case updates, what's in our mason jars, true crime documentary recommendations, and Southern suppers. Search @blessthismesspodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Sources Oxygen True Crime: “An Unexpected Killer: Inside the Murder Case of Charlotte Waites” (Season 2, Episode 12) WSFA 12 News (Alabama): “Jury Finds Former Lanett City Councilman Guilty of Murder” (November 20, 2006) NBC News / Associated Press Archives: “Visions of Victim Inspire Murder Accusation in Lanett Case” (February 10, 2006) Chambers County District Attorney’s Office: Trial Transcripts, Evidence Filings, and Sentencing Records: State of Alabama v. Barry Waites (2006) The Valley Times-News (Lanett, AL): Local reporting and archives on the 1998 investigation and 2006 conviction of Barry Waites

  8. Sep 8

    A Little Less Mess: The Unsolved Murder of Lisa Pruett [Ohio]

    In this week's Monday minisode of A Little Less Mess, Cara travels outside the South to the upscale community of Shaker Heights, Ohio. In September 1990, sixteen-year-old Lisa Pruett left home to meet her boyfriend in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Minutes later, she was attacked and killed in a yard just steps from his house. A classmate, Kevin Young, was charged after two people said he confessed while in psychiatric treatment, but no physical evidence tied him to the crime. He was acquitted in 1993, and Lisa’s murder remains unsolved. Support the showListen to our Monday minisode A Little Less Mess right here on the main feed.   Hang out with us on Patreon for The Weekly Pour on the Porch and Sittin’, Sippin’, & Bullshittin’.Please rate and review, subscribe, and follow us on social media for case updates, what's in our mason jars, true crime documentary recommendations, and Southern suppers. Search @blessthismesspodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.Sources for this episode Cleveland.com, “Kevin Young, accused in 1990 fatal stabbing of Shaker Heights teen, dies at 44”Cleveland Scene, “I See the Truth,” a long-form review of the Lisa Pruett investigation and Kevin Young trialShaker Heights Police / Cuyahoga County court reporting and contemporaneous local coverage

    A Little Less Mess: The Unsolved Murder of Lisa Pruett [Ohio]
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4.6
out of 5
736 Ratings

About

Welcome to Bless This Mess: A Southern True Crime Podcast, where the tea is sweet but the history is dark. We are a husband and wife team from Louisiana serving up murder, mystery, and mayhem from across the southern states. Pull up a rocking chair, fill your mason jar with sweet tea (or something a little stronger), and sit for a spell on the porch with us. We dive deep into each case, taking turns sharing the story, but there's always room for some husband-and-wife banter and a few well-placed f-bombs along the way. If you love true crime but prefer we get straight to the point without the porch chit-chat, check out our weekly A Little Less Mess episodes—same cases, trimmed down and focused on the facts. Want even more time on the porch? Join “The Porch Crew” over on our Patreon! Upgrade your sweet tea to something stronger and get early ad-free episodes, our exclusive Friday bonus hangouts (Sittin', Sippin', & Bullshittin'), and even your very own official Porch Crew mason jar.

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