True Crime and Punishment

Kayley Siera
  • 4.0 (2)
  • True Crime
  • Updated Weekly

Join Siera and Kayley, two friends who are applying their professional writing degrees to research the motivation, perpetration, and investigation of true crime cases.

  1. 06/01/2025

    The Blood Countess: Elizabeth Báthory

    The Blood Countess--Evil Incarnate, or an elaborate smear campaign? Elizabeth Báthory  was a Hungarian noblewoman serial killer active in the late 1500s to the early 1600s. Remembered for her cruelty towards her servants, Báthory is said to be the inspiration for the Evil Queen in Snow White as well as legends about retaining ones's youth by bathing in the blood of virgins.  Join Kayley and Siera as Kayley walks us through the story of The Blood Countess and attempts to tell fact from fiction in this gruesome case. Sources: https://www.biography.com/crime/elizabeth-bathory https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1134&context=etd https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Bathory https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-69057709 Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters by Peter Vronsky

  2. 03/16/2025

    The Murder of Kitty Genovese

    In the early morning of March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese was attacked and stabbed to death while she was walking home from work.  The brutality of the murder was made more sensational by reports that thirty eight people stood at their windows and watched while she was murdered. Reportedly, out of these thirty eight people, no one attempted to help or call the police. Was this a case of the worst of human apathy? Or did bad reportage lead to moralistic outrage surrounding an already tragic case? Join us this week as we delve into the bystander effect and the death of Kitty Genovese. Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/crime/kitty-genovese https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/bystander-effect https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/her-shocking-murder-became-the-stuff-of-legend-but-everyone-got-the-story-wrong/2016/06/29/544916d8-3952-11e6-9ccd-d6005beac8b3_story.html https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/10/a-call-for-help https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/06/insider/1964-how-many-witnessed-the-murder-of-kitty-genovese.html?_r=0 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/02/nyregion/sophia-farrar-dead.html

  3. 01/09/2025

    The Demise of the Donner Party

    In this episode, the American dream turns into an infamous nightmare for the members of the Donner Party, a group of pioneers traveling to California in the 1800s. After facing multiple setbacks along their journey, their wagon train become stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. As the snow accumulates and their supplies dwindle, the Donner Party must commit unthinkable acts in order to survive.  Sources: The primary source that I (Siera) used for this episode was a book written by Eliza Houghton, the daughter of George Donner. Her book is entitled The Expedition of the Donner Party and Its Tragic Fate, and it can be found for free on archive.org. Archive.org also contains several other books recounting the tragedy. For a quick introduction to the Donner Party, you can start with the articles below: https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/donner-party https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-donner-party

  4. 12/02/2024

    The Leaf Killer

    On November 10, 2010, Tina Herrmann didn't report for her shift at Dairy Queen. When concerned coworkers called police to report her missing, no one could expect the scene that would be found in Herrmann's home. Join Kayley and Siera as they cover murder, abduction, and . . . leaves?  Sources:https://www.nbc.com/twisted-killers/video/the-leaf-killer/9000226741 https://abcnews.go.com/US/killer-matthew-hoffman-stockpiled-leaves-ohio-home-made/story?id=12877942 https://www.oxygen.com/twisted-killers/crime-news/why-matthew-hoffman-is-known-as-leaf-killer https://nypost.com/2010/11/20/slain-ohio-family-were-stabbed-to-death/ https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40258902 https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/us/07brfs-GUILTYPLEAIN_BRF.html https://www.healthline.com/health/dendrophilia https://appgateway.drc.ohio.gov/OffenderSearch/Search/Details/A645571

  5. 11/26/2024

    The Case of the Black Dahlia

    This unsolved case revolves around confusion and speculation. Who was the mysterious woman dubbed the Black Dahlia, and who was her likely killer? Join Siera and Kayley as they delve into these questions and also ponder the roles of journalism and speculation in the world of true crime. Sources:  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jan-09-me-asdel9-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-01-06-mn-15889-story.html?_gl=1*7xs3ci*_gcl_au*Njk2MjQzMjI3LjE3MDk0ODk5Nzk https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-nov-21-tm-dahlia47-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-dec-19-me-knowlton19-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jan-09-me-asdel9-story.html https://www.independent.com/2018/06/07/black-dahlia-never-dies/ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-01-me-28619-story.html https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/26/black-dahlia-murder-steve-hodel-elizabeth-short https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/elizabeth-short-george-hodel-suspects-clues-13354993.php https://www.fbi.gov/image-repository/police-bulletin-short.png Books: American Detective: Behind the Scenes of Famous Criminal Investigations, Thomas A. Reppetto Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder, Steve Hodel

  6. 11/17/2024

    The Cleveland Torso Killer

    A mad butcher terrorized the Roaring Third in Cleveland Ohio from 1935 to 1938, leaving a trail of bodies and mystery in his wake.  At least twelve victims are attributed to this unknown murderer, and most were never identified. While the killer was never caught, his killings mysteriously stopped in 1938, and the butcher was never heard from again. Join Kayley and Siera as they discuss the Cleveland Torso Killer (also known as the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run) and how this "unsolved case" might've actually been cracked back in 1938.  After listening side note: As of summer of 2024, DNA testing is underway to identify the victims! The DNA Doe Project is working with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office to use genetic genealogy testing to attempt to identify those who have for too long been nameless. They've exhumed two victims (one of which is the Tattooed Man, the other believed to be victim #6,).  So sorry I didn't mention this in the episode; I researched this back in May of 2024, and this hadn't been reported on at the time. Here's an article about it-take a look!  -Kayley https://www.cbsnews.com/news/torso-killer-cleveland-dna-testing-victims-identified/ Sources: https://www.clevelandpolicemuseum.org/collections/torso-murders/ https://case.edu/ech/articles/t/torso-murders https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles/case-closed- https://www.amazon.com/Wake-Butcher-Cleveland-Authoritative-Expanded-ebook/dp/B00J9F44GI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= In the Wake of the Butcher: Cleveland Torso Murders, Revised and Expanded by James Badal

  7. 03/04/2024

    The Murder of Tim McLean

    A brutal bus killing shocks Canadians and leads to questions regarding convicted killers rejoining society.  Sources: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/greyhound-killer-believed-man-he-beheaded-was-an-alien-1.1131575 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/please-kill-me-accused-begs-in-court/article657590/ https://web.archive.org/web/20090315135511/http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Health/Beheader%2Bcriminally%2Bresponsible/1356476/story.html https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2009/03/04/fateful_meeting_on_greyhound#:~:text=The%20Greyhound%20driver%20pulled%20to,his%20head%2C%20court%20was%20told. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2009/03/10/hearing-set-for-man https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/greyhound-beheading-10th-anniversary-1.4760074 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/vince-li-could-get-absolute-discharge-1.3968166 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/mother-of-tim-mclean-ends-petition-to-change-law-1.2502104 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/40-year-old-suspect-held-in-gruesome-manitoba-bus-killing-1.705008 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/greyhound-killer-believed-man-he-beheaded-was-an-alien-1.1131575

  8. 12/04/2023

    Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?

    Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? This is a question that has been asked for nearly eighty years, and one that may never be answered. This week, Kayley presents a case surrounding an unknown woman whose bones were found inside a hollow wych elm tree in April 1942. While this case is unsolved, there are several prevalent theories that remain. Who is “Bella”? How did she come to be in an old hollow tree? While we may never know the answer to these question, perhaps somewhere out there, someone does. Sources: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-07/mystery-over-who-put-bella-down-the-wych-elm-/102171844 https://crimereads.com/who-put-bella-in-the-wych-elm/ https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/31-days-of-halloween-who-put-bella-down-the-wych-elm https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b04c9dfn https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/who-put-bella-in-the-wych-elm/

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Join Siera and Kayley, two friends who are applying their professional writing degrees to research the motivation, perpetration, and investigation of true crime cases.

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