Forgotten Felonies

Forgotten Felonies Podcast
  • 5.0 (13)
  • TRUE CRIME
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

This is a True Crime podcast that takes our listeners back in time to rediscover the tales of vintage villainy that time forgot. We include old newspaper ads from the year of the crime that we are covering just for fun.

  1. 5D AGO

    The Attack on Richard Doherty, Jr. - A Fun-Sized Felony

    Send a message to Monica and Olivia! Not every story is told in full. This frustrates us, and now it can frustrate you! (You're welcome.) The towns of Whitman and Brockton, MA, were thrown for a loop in July of 1957 when young boys were being immorally assaulted, battered, and murdered. What happened to little Dicky Doherty? Tune in to this fun-sized episode to find out as much as we know!

    10 min

  2. JAN 11

    Lorraine Clark and the Murder of Melvin: When the Headlines Hardened into Fact

    Send a message to Monica and Olivia! In 1954, Melvin Clark was murdered and his body dumped into the depths of the Merrimack River. His wife, Lorraine Clark, would ultimately plead guilty—and for decades, that plea has stood as the official ending to the case. But the record tells a more complicated story. In this episode, we take a closer look at the murder of Melvin Clark, the investigation that followed, and the media narrative that quickly hardened into “fact.” We examine the unanswered questions that were never resolved in court: the missing motive, the car mysteriously abandoned in Everett, and the physical realities that never quite lined up with a lone perpetrator. We also explore how sensational newspaper coverage distorted public understanding of the case, and how those manufactured stories have persisted as "truth" to this very day. Two years after her guilty plea, Lorraine Clark would repudiate her confession and implicate a man who had hovered around the case from the beginning. By then, the legal system had already decided it was finished listening. This is the story of Lorraine Clark and the murder of Melvin—not as it was printed, but as it truly unfolded: fragmented, unresolved, and still asking questions no one ever fully answered.

    1h 15m

  3. 12/21/2025

    Baby John: The Boy Who Lived Through Fire - Part 3

    Send a message to Monica and Olivia! In the final episode, Isabella J. Martin finally faces trial in a courtroom she cannot control. As the case unfolds, testimony forces the legal system to confront a difficult truth: Baby John was not a criminal mastermind, but a child shaped by coercion and fear. This episode follows Isabella from conviction, to imprisonment, to retrial, to re-conviction, and back to imprisonment. Then we take a look at the San Quentin prison records that reveal the extent of her unraveling behind bars, which brings a lot of clarity to her entire criminal history.  This episode also traces what became of Baby John after the trial—showing that survival does not always mean healing, and that escaping control is only the beginning of a far more complicated story. Sorry for the length—but I didn't want to spill over into 4 episodes!

    1h 38m

  4. 12/14/2025

    Baby John: The Boy Who Lived Through Fire - Part 2

    Send a message to Monica and Olivia! A burning barn in the snow finally breaks Isabella J. Martin’s control over her son.  In Episode 2, Baby John is arrested—and for the first time in his life, separated from the woman who shaped every moment of his childhood. What follows is chaos inside the courtroom: Isabella acting as her son’s attorney, arguing with the judge, confessing to arson in open court, and then vanishing on the final day of the hearing. As Baby John remains silent under her command, authorities begin to see the truth—this was not a criminal partnership, but a child forced into crime. And when Isabella disappears, the focus of the case finally begins to shift. The barn fire was only the beginning.

    1h 17m

  5. 11/29/2025

    Baby John: The Boy Who Lived Through Fire - Part 1

    Send a message to Monica and Olivia! In 1907, a judge’s home in Oakland, CA was blown apart by a homemade bomb. For months, the case went unsolved — until a trail of clues led not to a hardened criminal, but to a sixteen-year-old boy known as “Baby John.” Episode 1 uncovers the hidden truth behind that headline: Baby John was not a prodigy of crime, but a child raised in isolation and fear under the control of Isabella J. Martin, one of the most destructive women in California’s early legal history. This chapter follows the path that brought him into Isabella Martin's unforgiving grip and uncovers what his childhood was really like. We explore his origins and see his "mother" escalate in her thirst for more and more. Nothing was ever good enough for her—especially not Baby John. Vintage ads featured: Sexol, 1894American Fuel Co., 1908

    1h 20m

  6. 11/09/2025

    Zollie Clement - The Boy Bandit

    Send a message to Monica and Olivia! A young boy found himself lost in the pages of adventure-filled dime novels and couldn't get enough. Before too long he brought those adventures to life just to read about his own adventures in the headlines. Zollie Clement became the Boy Bandit by night, yet he was conniving and clever enough by day to get away with it under the noses of all who knew him. He was so good at hiding in plain sight that he got away with it for an entire decade! He robbed and murdered without a second thought and went to church the next day with his sweet baby-faced charm. It's typical of the stories we cover to have been lost to our collective memories, but this story is different. We didn't just lose the story, but we also lost Zollie Clement himself. Zollie pulled off one last crime—wrote himself into one last grand adventure—and we never got to read the ending. Where is Zollie Clement? How does the story end? Vintage ads featured are for the Titanic's maiden voyage, C. A. Noble and Sons, and Chamberlain's Tablets. Big thanks to Christian for providing our commercial voice and quotes! Street Fair music featured:   •  Indiana Two Step, Columbia Band, 1902 Saloon music featured:   •  A Banjo Song, Louise Homer, 1911   •  They Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dawg Aroun' - Byron G. Harlan, 1912   •  By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Ada Jones, 1912 Band outside the courthouse featured:   •  The Policeman's Holiday, The Black Diamond's Band, 1912

    1h 29m

  7. 10/25/2025

    Protecting the Porch: Halloween Prank Horrors

    Send a message to Monica and Olivia! Long before candy and costumes, Halloween was a night of chaos. Young people looked forward to a night of unbridled rebellion while responsible property owners feared for their livelihood. Halloween was a night of anything-goes and, unfortunately, anything went far too often. Townsfolk and police officers simply had to brace themselves and wait for October to pass. What they'd wake up to in the morning was anyone's guess. The real question was whether or not there would be enough room in the hospitals and morgues come November 1st. Listen in as we reveal the shocking history behind this family-friendly holiday that once terrorized North America!  This time we were able to fit in 5 vintage ads: Camel's CigarettesKleenexNewbro's Herpicide "The Original Remedy that kills the Dandruff Germ."Sozodont Tooth PowderGORDON Hats DISCLAIMER: We here at Forgotten Felonies do not actually want you to smoke cigarettes. Please don't. It is bad for your health.

    1h 2m

  8. 10/12/2025

    Poison and Pistols: the Treacherous Deeds of John Branton

    Send a message to Monica and Olivia! This is the third and final episode in our series featuring Lane County, OR. This one takes you through the life and crimes of John Branton, older brother of Claude. When Milly Elliott met John Branton, she thought it was a love story to last through the ages. She imagined she'd be with John for the rest of her life. She wasn't wrong—she just didn't realize her life would be so short. Neither did the next wife, nor the next, and it was only through sheer luck that young Grace didn't become wife number 4... But would John Fletcher consider it "luck"? Is that what you'd call it? John Branton certainly wouldn't. And... things didn't exactly turn out well for him now, did it? If you thought Claude Branton's story was wild, you will be absolutely floored by his big brother's wild antics.  Vintage ads featured are for S. L. Long's Buggies and Dr. Scott's Electric Hairbrush. If you want to jump on this vintage bandwagon, use our coupon code at Newspapers.com for 20% off a subscription! FORGOTTEN20

    1h 18m
See All (25)

5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

This is a True Crime podcast that takes our listeners back in time to rediscover the tales of vintage villainy that time forgot. We include old newspaper ads from the year of the crime that we are covering just for fun.

Information

  • Creator
    Forgotten Felonies Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Forgotten Felonies
  • Show Website
    Forgotten Felonies

You Might Also Like