Candyman: The True Story Behind The Bathroom Mirror Murder

4.4 (481)
TRUE CRIME
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On April 22, 1987, 52-year-old Ruthie Mae McCoy called 911 to report that someone was trying to enter her Chicago housing project apartment through the bathroom medicine cabinet. Police thought she was imagining things, but when authorities finally checked on McCoy two days later, they found her dead with four gunshot wounds. Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder, revisits the real-life account of McCoy's strange death – one of the inspirations for the Candyman horror film. Hosted by journalist and Chicago native Dometi Pongo, this 6-episode limited series – produced by 48 Hours and CBS News – explores why McCoy's desperate calls for help were ignored, the surprising outcome of her murder trial, and the broader systemic issues of racial injustice, housing inequality, and the stigma of mental illness that surround this tragic event.

TRAILER

The Strange Death of Ruthie Mae McCoy

52-year-old Ruthie Mae McCoy’s frantic 911 call stated, “They want to come through the bathroom.” Nearly three days later, police found her shot to death, her apartment breached through her bathroom medicine cabinet. In Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder, Chicago native and journalist Dometi Pongo uncovers the terrifying reality of McCoy’s murder, which was one of the inspirations for the “Candyman” horror franchise. Get early, ad-free access to episodes of Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder by subscribing to 48 Hours+ on Apple Podcasts or Wondery+ on the Wondery app. Subscribe to 48 Hours+: https://apple.co/4aEgENo Subscribe to Wondery+: https://wondery.com/plus/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

09/18/2024

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3 min

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4.4

out of 5

481 Ratings

A must-listen if you’re curious about the context of the movie!

Jan 23

luthien13

This was a really interesting angle on the history behind the Candyman movies, very much building on ideas a lot of horror nerds probably have grown familiar with from Horror Noire documentary. So wonderful to learn more.
Well done…

12/08/2024

JoCrime

Very well done, from the investigation to the telling of the story, well done.
Disjointed Storyline

Jan 22

Display Nickname Here

This podcast goes all over the place with the storyline. Instead of focusing on the true crime connection to the movie, it stretches into representation in movies, comparing the book vs movie vs news articles, and other distractions. The entire portions with the UVA prof as well as the filmmaker were totally unnecessary for the intended topic. Way too many separate storylines that weren’t combined into a compelling narrative.
Cringe

12/31/2024

A. B. F.

You can tell a good true crime story, or you can prove to everyone how woke you are. But you can’t do both

On April 22, 1987, 52-year-old Ruthie Mae McCoy called 911 to report that someone was trying to enter her Chicago housing project apartment through the bathroom medicine cabinet. Police thought she was imagining things, but when authorities finally checked on McCoy two days later, they found her dead with four gunshot wounds. Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder, revisits the real-life account of McCoy's strange death – one of the inspirations for the Candyman horror film. Hosted by journalist and Chicago native Dometi Pongo, this 6-episode limited series – produced by 48 Hours and CBS News – explores why McCoy's desperate calls for help were ignored, the surprising outcome of her murder trial, and the broader systemic issues of racial injustice, housing inequality, and the stigma of mental illness that surround this tragic event.