Bad Acts: A True Crime Podcast

Danielle Blinka
  • 4.2 (98)
  • True Crime
  • Updated Weekly

Twisted true crime tales of dark deeds and despicable people. New episodes every Thursday. Join our Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes here: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod

  1. 2d ago

    Ep. 282 — The Murder of Mel Kernena Cotton

    Send us Fan Mail 31-year-old Mel Cotton helped her friend escape a violent relationship. About two weeks later, her sister arrived to babysit Mel’s son to find the boy injured and Mel dead. Her murder was an escalation that anyone could see coming, and her attacker shouldn’t have been free to kill her.    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/ Ad: Brutal, Bizarre, and Boozy — https://open.spotify.com/show/44Z9VDxjEVGpbPBkYzQorh?si=0556a1a9b65048bd&nd=1&dlsi=7e42cb75c47e4fc4  Episode Source List: https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2011/ap-76-345.html  https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-6139.html  https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/tx-court-of-appeals/1104863.html  https://tcadp.org/2010/03/12/travis-county-sentences-man-to-death/ https://www.txcourts.gov/All_Archived_Documents/JudicialInformation/oca/pdf/jchgs/Travis031010JChg.pdf  https://abc7chicago.com/archive/7341178/ https://archive.gosanangelo.com/news/one-final-outburst-former-abilenian-to-die-for-murder-ep-440943875-357343071.html  https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/gobertmilton.html  https://www.owensandbrumley.com/obituary/5042637  https://www.safeaustin.org/the-violent-reality-of-strangulation/  “Blind Rage.” The Mind of a Murderer. Season Two, Episode 3. 24 October 2016. Messy Midlife: Honest conversations about hormones, identity, and change.Three naturopathic doctors. One therapist. Unfiltered talks about the midlife transition.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    1h 19m

  2. Jun 4

    Ep. 281 – The Red Riding Hood Murders: Female Serial Killer Piroska Jancsó-Ladányi

    Send us Fan Mail Unlike most female serial killers, 20-year-old Piroska Jancsó-Ladányi was a lust killer who targeted young girls. She committed five murders before anyone suspected her because no one thinks the bogey man is going to be a small young woman with a Mona Lisa smile.  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/ Ad:  Rowan & Pine — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rowan-pine-a-feminist-folklore-mythology-podcast/id1632401774  Episode Source List: https://ujkor.hu/content/anyam-mondta-hogy-oljelek-meg-jancso-ladanyi-piroska-gyilkossagsorozata https://www.kolisrael.hu/horror-es-vervad-torokszentmikloson/ https://egyperceskrimi.blog.hu/2015/11/14/ot_holttest_a_kutban_jancso_ladanyi_piroska_remtortenete https://www.szoljon.hu/bulvar-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/hatvan-eve-akasztottak-fel-jancso-piroskat  https://www.szoljon.hu/kozelet-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/hatvan-eve-akasztottak-fel-jancso-piroskat-4-resz  https://www.szoljon.hu/bulvar-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/rettenetes-es-megbotrankoztato-titkok-derultek-ki  https://www.szoljon.hu/bulvar-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/egy-kislany-eltunesevel-indult-a-verfurdo  Messy Midlife: Honest conversations about hormones, identity, and change.Three naturopathic doctors. One therapist. Unfiltered talks about the midlife transition.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    1h 30m

  3. May 28

    Ep. 280 - Live From Comicpalooza! Killer Chatbot?: A.I. & The Murder of Margaux Whittemore

    Send us Fan Mail (Audio is pretty good!) In February 2025, 32-year-old Margaux Whittemore traveled to Maine with her husband, Samuel, to visit her mother-in-law. She wouldn’t make it back home. Investigators soon learned that Samuel Whittemore was having a strange conversation with an AI chatbot, which led him to attack his wife and mother.  Episode Source List: https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/taxonomy/term/1549 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12805049/ https://nam.edu/news-and-insights/what-is-ai-psychosis/ https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2025.10.10.5 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2602.09339  https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/ https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/10/17/central-maine/central-maine-police-courts/readfield-maine-giles-road-homicide-samuel-whittemore-not-criminally-responsible-chat-gpt-delusions/  https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/02/21/central-maine/belfast-man-led-globe-trotting-life-with-wife-he-allegedly-killed/  https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-man-accused-of-using-fire-poker-in-fatal-attack-on-wife-maine-giles-road-family-parents-mother-samuel-whittemore  https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/public-safety/family-mourns-margaux-whittemore-plans-bring-her-home-france/97-91cf1f40-102d-4f4d-baf5-7a06ddd5ed3c  https://abc13.com/post/margaux-whittemore-death-french-woman-houston-ties-allegedly-murdered-husband-belfast-maine/15961607/  https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-man-not-criminally-responsible-killing-wife-trying-kill-mother/69071795  https://www.thinkbrg.com/insights/publications/nervous-system-eliza-effect/  https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260505-how-to-use-ai-without-turning-your-brain-to-mush  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/09/would-you-entrust-a-childs-life-to-a-chatbot-thats-what-happens-every-day-that-we-fail-to-regulate-ai  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4ml2xwyMko  https://www.instagram.com/margauxn/  Messy Midlife: Honest conversations about hormones, identity, and change.Three naturopathic doctors. One therapist. Unfiltered talks about the midlife transition.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    34 min

  4. May 21

    Ep. 279 — “I Love You to Death:” The Worst (But Funniest) Murder Conspiracy Ever

    Send us Fan Mail This week, we talk about the true story of Tony & Frances Toto, whose story hit the big screen in 1990 after Frances tried to murder Tony 5 times with the help of a few hitmen, all of whom were very bad at murder. The dark comedy based on their “rough patch” is called I Love You to Death.  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/ Ad: Brutal, Bizarre, and Boozy — https://open.spotify.com/show/44Z9VDxjEVGpbPBkYzQorh?si=0556a1a9b65048bd&nd=1&dlsi=7e42cb75c47e4fc4  Episode Source List: https://time.com/archive/6697647/family-man/  https://www.mcall.com/1984/01/17/wife-bruno-plead-guilty-in-toto-case/  https://www.mcall.com/1984/03/07/totos-wife-bruno-sentenced-in-murder-try/  https://www.mcall.com/1984/04/07/2-toto-children-meet-different-fates-at-hearing/  https://www.mcall.com/1991/10/25/barlip-out-of-prison-back-in-jail-same-day/  https://www.mcall.com/1986/11/03/a-tangled-web-behind-the-headlines-of-the-tony-toto-murder-attempt-lies-a-complex-tale-of-conspiracy-and-innuendo-a-story-of-jumbled-lives-bound-by-fate-and-tragedy/  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-05-ca-1192-story.html  https://www.mcall.com/1986/11/03/a-tangled-web-behind-the-headlines-of-the-tony-toto-murder-attempt-lies-a-complex-tale-of-conspiracy-and-innuendo-a-story-of-jumbled-lives-bound-by-fate-and-tragedy/  https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1990/04/24/the-people-who-lived-i-love-you-to-death/  https://local12.com/news/offbeat/couple-together-57-years-survives-infidelity-murder-plot-prison-sentence-tony-frances-toto-i-love-you-to-death-movie-hollywood-film-tristar-pictures-homicide-kill-attempts-teenage-hit-men-affair-jail-relationship-allentown-pennsylvania  https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighvalley/lehigh-county/allentown-area/love-conquers-all-how-5-murder-attempts-4-years-in-prison-led-to-60-years/article_ad10d32a-aa56-4574-9b4a-5defeb91c22d.html  https://www.wsaz.com/2023/02/17/couple-celebrates-57-years-married-despite-multiple-murder-attempts/  https://www.deseret.com/1990/4/8/18855377/i-don-t-love-it-at-all-says-hitman-portrayed-in-film/  Messy Midlife: Honest conversations about hormones, identity, and change.Three naturopathic doctors. One therapist. Unfiltered talks about the midlife transition.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    52 min

  5. May 14

    Ep. 278 — Ray the Ripper: A Houston Spree Killing

    Send us Fan Mail Over an 8-day period in April 2002, 28-year-old Ray McArthur Freeney preyed on sex workers on Houston, TX’s infamous Bissonnet Strip. He murdered 15-year-old Kirshalynne Jones and 36-year-old Vicky Dean, but they weren’t his only victims. In fact, police caught their killer as he was negotiating prices with his next would-be victim.  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/ Ad: Getting Down & Wordy Podcast — https://linktr.ee/gettingdownandwordy  Episode Source List: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-5th-circuit/1948025.html  https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/68106/20181026102251252_App%20A%20-%20Freeney%20v%20Davis%20737%20F%20Appx%20198.pdf  https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/96557/20190415171947971_Freeney%20br%20oppn%20FINAL.pdf  https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/80178/20190110191635076_Appendices%20-%20Combined.pdf    https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/80178/20190110191619655_2019-01-10%20SCOTUS%20Cert%20Petition%20-%20RF%20-%20FINAL.pdf  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-txsd-4_14-cv-00373/pdf/USCOURTS-txsd-4_14-cv-00373-0.pdf  https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/freeneyray.html  https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/murder-suspect-is-arrested-in-stabbing-of-teen-2092120.php  https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-death-row-inmate-convicted-of-stabbing-2-12751312.php  https://defendernetwork.com/news/local-state/houston-death-row-inmate-convicted-stabbing-2-women-loses-federal-appeal/  https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/mar/05/pimps-use-instagram-to-glorify-sexual-violence-and-abuse-investigation-finds https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/29/kristen-galvan-texas-missing-murdered  Messy Midlife: Honest conversations about hormones, identity, and change.Three naturopathic doctors. One therapist. Unfiltered talks about the midlife transition.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    49 min

  6. May 8

    Ep. 277 — The Murder of Michelle Shadbolt

    Send us Fan Mail On February 14, 1987, Michelle Shadbolt’s stepmother found her brutally murdered in her living room. Everyone suspected Michelle’s estranged husband, but investigators didn’t have enough evidence to arrest him. That’s because he wasn’t their killer…but someone very close to Michelle was hiding a terrible secret. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/ Ad: Thick Thighs and Creepy Vibes — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thick-thighs-and-creepy-vibes/id1736179086   Episode Source List: https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2026/ap-77-125.html https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914b52dadd7b04934770fe1  https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2011/21125.html  https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/irvanwilliam.html   https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/years-later-dna-links-man-to-woman-s-death-1997244.php  https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/houstonchronicle/name/william-irvan-obituary?id=27975915   Messy Midlife: Honest conversations about hormones, identity, and change.Three naturopathic doctors. One therapist. Unfiltered talks about the midlife transition.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    1h 4m

  7. Apr 30

    Ep. 276 — Amelia & The Devil: A Diabolical Murder Case

    Send us Fan Mail In 2011, Amelia Espinoza was raising her son, 18-year-old Moises Meraz-Espinoza, in Los Angeles. This time, Satan really was waiting in the wings… Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/ Ad: The ODDentity Podcast — https://linktr.ee/oddentitypod  Wishbone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjjRlr-kmVY  Episode Source List: https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/cacdce/2:2016cv04597/651690/4  https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/3:2023cv05947/421129  https://www.countyofmonterey.gov/Home/Components/News/News/11495/ https://homicide.latimes.com/post/jane-doe-6/  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2013-jul-17-la-me-satanic-killer-sentencing-20130718-story.html  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/moises-meraz-espinoza-calif-man-gets-25-years-in-death-dismemberment-of-mom/ https://abcnews.com/US/chilling-confession-teen-allegedly-dismembered-mother-stored-body/story?id=12859387  https://salinasvalleytribune.com/jury-convicts-salinas-valley-state-prison-inmate-of-two-counts-of-assault/  https://abc7ny.com/archive/7941216/  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-3_23-cv-05947/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-3_23-cv-05947-1.pdf  https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCOURTS-cand-3_23-cv-05947/USCOURTS-cand-3_23-cv-05947-0/context  https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/huntingtonparkcitycalifornia/PST045224  https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/51441714/MerazEspinoza_v_Santoyo_et_al  https://ktla.com/news/local-news/satan-worshiper-gets-life-in-prison-for-killing-skinning-mom/  Messy Midlife: Honest conversations about hormones, identity, and change.Three naturopathic doctors. One therapist. Unfiltered talks about the midlife transition.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    53 min

  8. Apr 23

    Ep. 275 — The “Satanic Cult” Murders You’ve Never Heard About, Pt. 3

    Send us Fan Mail In 1997, 16-year-old Luke Woodham murdered three people and wounded seven in a short crime spree that began at home and ended at Pearl High School in Pearl, Mississippi. His small Mississippi town soon found itself in the grip of the Satanic Panic. It wasn’t long before rumors were flying about Woodham’s friend, 18-year-old Grant Boyette and his supposed satanic cult, The Kroth.  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/ Ad: Rowan & Pine — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rowan-pine-a-feminist-folklore-mythology-podcast/id1632401774  Episode Source List: https://law.justia.com/cases/mississippi/supreme-court/2001/conv11206.html  https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ms-supreme-court/1439843.html  https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ms-supreme-court/1439897.html  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCfQ8_tMSZ8  https://www.ms.gov/mdoc/inmate/Search/PrintDetails/R4682 https://www.wlbt.com/2021/06/17/making-mississippi-school-shooter/  https://time.com/archive/6731664/mississippi-gothic/  https://www.edweek.org/leadership/six-charged-as-conspirators-in-miss-high-school-slayings/1997/10  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-15-mn-42915-story.html  https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/oct/15/teen-led-satanic-cult-that-plotted-murders/  https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2016/05/25/luke-woodham-wants-parole/32625191/  https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-criminal-justice/juvenile-life-without-parole  https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ms-supreme-court/1378466.html  https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep543/usrep543551/usrep543551.pdf  https://criminal-justice.iresearchnet.com/types-of-crime/school-violence/luke-woodham/  https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/biases-and-vulnerabilities/juveniles/executions-of-juveniles-since-1976  https://www.wlbt.com/video/2019/02/18/luke-woodham-makes-initial-court-appearance/  https://www.justinsledge.com/faq  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgmPQGWn8pI  https://www.deseret.com/2000/2/11/19490370/man-sentenced-in-school-deaths/  https://www.upi.com/Archives/1998/05/12/Accused-Miss-shooting-mastermind-free/3375894945600/  https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/nation-world/1997/10/12/death-satanism-talk-all-around/50591395007/  https://www.cnn.com/US/9806/04/woodham.trial.pm/  https://time.com/archive/6733068/of-arms-and-the-boy/  https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/10/15/teen-accused-of-leading-deadly-satanic-cult/  https://mndaily.com/uncategorized/judge-drops-conspiracy-charges-mississippi-school-shooting-cases/07/23/1998/snoadmin/  https://www.pewresearch.org/2006/09/13/the-devils-new-playground-the-shopping-mall/  Messy Midlife: Honest conversations about hormones, identity, and change.Three naturopathic doctors. One therapist. Unfiltered talks about the midlife transition.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    58 min
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About

Twisted true crime tales of dark deeds and despicable people. New episodes every Thursday. Join our Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes here: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod

Information

  • Creator
    Danielle Blinka
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    290
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Bad Acts: A True Crime Podcast
  • Show Website
    Bad Acts: A True Crime Podcast

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