Brief Case

Brief Case

Welcome to Brief Case — your ultimate destination for deep dives into the darkest mysteries, unsolved enigmas, and gripping tales from the shadows.  ​Here, we open the files that others leave closed, examining the details, exploring the unknown, and bringing untold stories to light. If you have a passion for true crime, psychological mysteries, and atmospheric investigations, pull up a chair at the wooden desk, subscribe, and join us as we unlock the truth one case at a time. 

  1. 1d ago

    The Disturbing _ Chilling Case of Martha Place

    The Disturbing and Chilling Case of Martha Place — a true crime story of acid, an axe, and the first woman to die in the electric chair. What if the most shocking thing about a stepmother's crime wasn't the murder itself, but the calm with which she waited for her husband to come home so she could kill him too? In this episode, we dive into the case of Martha Place, born Martha Garretson in 1849 in New Jersey. After a head injury from a sleigh accident at twenty-three left her, according to her brother, mentally unstable, she worked as a dressmaker, married, had a son, and was abandoned. In 1893 she became housekeeper for William Place, a widower in Brooklyn, and married him later that year—partly, she later said, because wives worked without wages. But Martha grew violently jealous of William's seventeen-year-old daughter, Ida. Neighbors saw her chase William down the street with a butcher knife. He had called the police at least once after she threatened to kill the girl. On February 7, 1898, after William left for work, Martha threw acid in Ida's face, then smothered her with bedclothes. She sent the servant away, wrote notes, and waited in the dark house. When William came home, she attacked him with an axe, fracturing his skull. He escaped and screamed for help. Police found Ida dead, her face disfigured beyond recognition, and Martha lying on the floor with clothes over her head, gas hissing from broken jets. She confessed to the attacks but denied causing Ida's death. Her trial in July 1898 lasted barely a day. The all-male jury convicted her of first-degree murder. Theodore Roosevelt, then governor of New York, refused to commute the sentence. On March 20, 1899, at Sing Sing, Martha Place became the first woman in America to die in the electric chair. Because no woman had been executed that way before, the executioner had to slit her dress and place the electrode on her ankle. She died instantly, murmuring a prayer. She was buried without religious observances. Was she a monster, a deeply damaged woman, or a product of a system that offered a poor widow few options but marriage and servitude? Perfect for true crime fans, history enthusiasts, and anyone drawn to the darkest corners of the past. Turn off the lights, and whatever you do — don't trust the stepmother. Listen now… if you dare.

  2. 1d ago

    The Shocking And Disturbing Case Of Sarah Malcolm

    The Shocking and Disturbing Case of Sarah Malcolm — a true crime story of triple murder, stolen silver, and the laundress who was sketched by Hogarth on the eve of her execution. What if the most notorious woman in 1730s London was a 22-year-old servant who claimed she was only the lookout, while the blood on her clothes told a different story? In this episode, we dive into the chilling case of Sarah Malcolm, born in County Durham around 1710 and raised in Dublin before migrating to London, where she worked as a laundress in the Temple [citation:1][citation:2]. On 4 February 1733, three women were found brutally murdered in their chambers: Lydia Duncomb, a wealthy widow, strangled; Elizabeth Harrison, her elderly maid, strangled; and Ann Price, a 17-year-old servant, her throat cut [citation:1][citation:6]. Malcolm, who had occasionally worked for Duncomb, was seen near the scene and later found with a blood-stained silver tankard, bloody linen, and a substantial sum of money hidden in her hair [citation:1][citation:2]. At her trial on 23 February 1733, she admitted to plotting the robbery with three accomplices—Mary Tracey and the Alexander brothers—but insisted she stayed on the stairs as lookout and never knew murder was planned [citation:1][citation:6]. She even argued the blood on her garments was her own menstrual blood, a defence the court refused to accept . The jury took just fifteen minutes to convict her of murder [citation:1]. While awaiting execution in Newgate, she was visited by William Hogarth, who sketched her portrait and reportedly said, "I see by this woman's features that she is capable of any wickedness" [citation:2][citation:7]. She was hanged on 7 March 1733 in Mitre Court, Fleet Street, as close as possible to the scene of the crime, before a crowd so vast that several viewing platforms collapsed and spectators were injured [citation:1][citation:6]. Her body was later exhibited for money before burial, and according to one account, her skeleton was displayed in a glass case at Cambridge until at least 1878 [citation:6]. This is the story of a woman whose guilt was never fully settled, whose accomplices were never charged, and whose face became more famous than her crime. Perfect for true crime fans, history enthusiasts, and anyone drawn to the darkest corners of the past. Turn off the lights, and whatever you do — don't trust the laundress with your silver. Listen now… if you dare.

  3. 1d ago

    The Shocking _ Twisted Case of Martha Needle

    The Shocking and Twisted Case of Martha Needle — a true crime story of arsenic, insurance money, and the "Black Widow of Richmond" who poisoned her family to clear the path to the man she wanted. What if the woman who buried a husband and three children was not a grieving mother, but a calculating killer who used rat poison to remove every obstacle in her way? In this episode, we dive into the case of Martha Needle, born Martha Charles in South Australia in 1863, who married carpenter Henry Needle and moved to Richmond, Melbourne, in 1885. Over the next six years, her daughter Mabel, her husband Henry, and her daughters Elsie and May all died of mysterious illnesses. Doctors were baffled, no suspicions were raised, and Martha collected insurance money on each death. In 1891 she became housekeeper for the Juncken brothers, Otto and Louis, and soon began an affair with Otto. Louis and his brother Herman opposed the match. Louis died in May 1894 after a sudden illness, and Herman fell violently ill in June after eating a meal Martha prepared. His doctor had the vomit analyzed: arsenic. Police set a trap. As Herman sat down to lunch, detectives burst in and seized the teacup Martha had poured for him—it contained enough arsenic to kill five people. The bodies of Henry and the three girls were exhumed. All contained fatal levels of arsenic. Martha Needle was tried for the murder of Louis Juncken, found guilty, and hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 22 October 1894. She was 31 years old. She protested her innocence to the end. But the question remains: was she a cold-blooded serial killer driven by obsession and greed, or a deeply damaged woman whose childhood abuse left her incapable of anything else? Perfect for true crime fans, history enthusiasts, and anyone drawn to the darkest corners of the past. Turn off the lights, and whatever you do—don't drink the tea. Listen now… if you dare.

  4. 1d ago

    The Sinister and Mysterious Case of Eli Fease

    The Sinister and Mysterious Case of Eli Feasel — a true crime story of a vanished farmer, a shallow grave, and the housekeeper who almost got away with murder. What if the person you trusted to keep your home running was the one who put you in the ground? In this episode, we dive into the chilling case of Eli Feasel, a farmer from Bostwick, Nebraska, who disappeared on November 1, 1903. His housekeeper, Nannie Hutchinson, told everyone he had gone to Kansas City to visit his son. But Feasel's brother, Thomas, grew suspicious when inquiries turned up no trace of him. An investigation led to the arrest of Nannie and her 21-year-old son, Charles, but with little evidence that a crime had even been committed, they were released. The following spring, a man named Stanley began farming Feasel's land and found what looked like a newly opened grave. Inside and around it were a human hand, hair from a man's head, part of a coat with an empty whisky bottle in the pocket, and other pieces of clothing. Authorities believed Charles Hutchinson had seen Stanley plowing the field where the grave was found, and he began to act suspiciously. On May 6, he rented a buggy, claiming he was going to Amboy. The next morning, he returned it, but stable workers noticed the horses seemed to have had a longer drive than expected, and a terrible stench emanated from the cushions. With this new evidence, Charles and his mother were rearrested. Authorities believed they had returned to the site to move the remains, leaving behind footprints of a man and a woman matching their shoe sizes. At trial, both were found guilty of second-degree murder. This is the story of a murder that nearly went undiscovered, and the question of how many other secrets are buried in the fields of rural America. Perfect for true crime fans, history enthusiasts, and anyone drawn to the darkest corners of the past. Turn off the lights, and whatever you do — don't trust the housekeeper. Listen now… if you dare.

  5. 1d ago

    The Sinister and Harrowing Case of Luciana Borcino

    The Sinister and Harrowing Case of Luciana Borcino — a true crime story of fire, daggers, and the murder that launched Spain's first media trial. What if the most shocking crime in 19th-century Madrid was solved in the streets and courtrooms of public opinion long before the jury ever reached a verdict? In this episode, we dive into the case of Luciana Borcino, a wealthy and feared widow who lived at 109 Fuencarral Street in Madrid. On the night of 2 July 1888, neighbors were alerted by screams and smoke. When police broke down the door, they found Borcino's body half-burned, with three stab wounds to her back—one of which pierced her heart. The fire had been set after she was already dead. In the next room, her maid of only six days, Higinia Balaguer, lay unconscious on the kitchen floor, drugged alongside the family bulldog. Higinia became the prime suspect. Her contradictory statements and the theft of money from the house sealed her fate in the eyes of the press and the public. But the case was never that simple. Borcino's son, José Vázquez Varela—known as "el Pollo Varela"—was a convicted criminal serving time in the Modelo prison, yet rumors swirled that he had been allowed to leave the night of the murder. The prison director, Millán Astray, was also accused of facilitating his escape. The trial became a media circus, covered by Benito Pérez Galdós himself, with the public split into "higinistas" and "varelistas." Higinia was convicted and executed by garrote vil on 19 June 1890, before a crowd of twenty thousand. Her final words—"Dolores, catorce mil duros!"—only deepened the mystery. Was she a murderer, a scapegoat, or a pawn in a conspiracy that reached the highest levels of Madrid society? The truth was never fully uncovered. Perfect for true crime fans, history enthusiasts, and anyone drawn to the darkest corners of the past. Turn off the lights, and whatever you do—don't trust the fire. Listen now… if you dare.

  6. 1d ago

    The Mysterious And Chilling Case of Georgina Moore

    The Mysterious and Chilling Case of Georgina Moore — a true crime story of a vanished child, a sensational Victorian trial, and a killer who walked free. What if the most shocking thing about a child's murder wasn't the crime itself, but the fact that the woman accused of it was acquitted in the face of evidence that seemed overwhelming? In this episode, we dive into the case of seven-year-old Georgina Moore, who vanished from outside her school in Pimlico, London, on 20 December 1881. Six weeks later, her body was found in the River Medway at Yalding, Kent, strangled with a brick tied to her body to make it sink. Suspicion fell on Esther Pay, a woman who had been the mistress of Georgina's father, Stephen Moore, and whose parents lived in a cottage just yards from where the body was found. The prosecution argued that Pay had killed the child in revenge after Stephen broke off their relationship. Witnesses placed a woman matching her description with Georgina on the day she disappeared. A tradesman identified the brick as one he had sold. It seemed like an open-and-shut case. But the defence, led by the legendary Sir Edward Clarke, demolished the prosecution link by link. The boy who identified Pay had only seen her ulster, not her face. The tradesman could not describe the woman who bought the brick. And Pay's parents swore she had not visited them for months. The jury acquitted her after a short consultation. She walked free. But the story doesn't end there. Years later, a soldier named George Euban confessed that he and Esther Pay had put a wire with a brick around the child's neck and thrown her into the Medway. The confession came too late for justice. This is the story of a murder that shocked Victorian England, a trial that became a legal sensation, and a question that has never been answered: did Esther Pay get away with murder? Perfect for true crime fans, history enthusiasts, and anyone drawn to the darkest corners of the past. Turn off the lights, and whatever you do — don't trust the woman with the ulster. Listen now… if you dare.

  7. 1d ago

    The Shocking _ Unlikely Case of Caroline Grills _ The Thallium Murders(

    The Shocking and Unlikely Case of Caroline Grills — the Thallium Murders, and the grandmother who poisoned her own family with tea and cake. What if the most beloved aunt in the family was the one quietly slipping rat poison into every cup she poured? In this episode, we dive into the chilling case of Caroline Grills, a 63-year-old mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother from Sydney, known to her family as "Aunty Carrie." She was a short, bespectacled woman who wore thick-rimmed glasses and spent her days visiting relatives and friends, making them tea, cakes, and biscuits [citation:1]. But behind that matronly facade was a calculated killer. Between 1947 and 1953, she poisoned multiple family members with thallium, a colorless, odorless, and tasteless rat poison readily available over the counter at the time [citation:1][citation:6]. Her suspected victims included her 87-year-old stepmother Christina Mickelson, a family friend named Angelina Thomas, her brother-in-law John Lundberg, and his wife Mary Anne Mickelson [citation:12]. When her sister-in-law Eveline Lundberg and her daughter Christine Downey fell violently ill—losing their hair, suffering nervous disorders, and nearly dying—they recovered only when Grills stopped visiting [citation:1]. Police exhumed bodies and found traces of thallium. At her trial in 1953, Grills professed her innocence, claiming she "helped to live, not kill," but her outbursts of laughter in court convinced many of her malevolence [citation:1]. She was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to death, though the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. She died of peritonitis in 1960, known to the press as "Aunt Thally" [citation:1]. The case became part of a wider thallium panic in 1950s Sydney, with dozens of poisoning cases reported and multiple women charged [citation:6]. Was Caroline Grills a cold-blooded killer driven by greed and resentment, or a product of a post-war era that left suburban women with deadly solutions to impossible situations? Perfect for true crime fans, history enthusiasts, and anyone drawn to the darkest corners of domestic life. Turn off the lights, and whatever you do — don't accept the tea. Listen now… if you dare.

  8. 1d ago

    The Sinister and Chilling Case of Agnes Magnúsdóttir

    The Sinister and Chilling Case of Agnes Magnúsdóttir — a true crime story of murder, fire, and the last execution ever carried out in Iceland. What if the woman condemned to die for a brutal killing was never the monster the rumors made her out to be, but a servant girl whose story was written by everyone except herself? In this episode, we dive into the case of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, one of three people convicted of the murders of Natan Ketilsson, a farmer and healer, and another man at Illugastaðir in northern Iceland. On the night before 14 March 1828, the two men were stabbed and beaten, and the farmhouse was set on fire to hide the evidence. Agnes, who worked at the farm, was sentenced to death alongside Friðrik Sigurðsson, while the third accused, Sigríður Guðmundsdóttir, had her sentence commuted to life imprisonment. Agnes was beheaded on 12 January 1830 in Húnavatn County—Iceland's last execution. But the story that survives is tangled. The love affair between Agnes and Natan, the jealousy that supposedly drove her to kill, is described by historians as having limited value as a historical source. What remains is a woman who was literate, intelligent, and orphaned young, sent to an isolated farm to await death, and remembered less for what she did than for what others said about her. This is the story that inspired Hannah Kent's novel Burial Rites—and the question of whether Agnes was a killer, a scapegoat, or a woman whose truth was buried long before her body. Perfect for true crime fans, history enthusiasts, and anyone drawn to the darkest corners of the past. Turn off the lights, and whatever you do—question the story you've been told. Listen now… if you dare.

See All (39)

About

Welcome to Brief Case — your ultimate destination for deep dives into the darkest mysteries, unsolved enigmas, and gripping tales from the shadows.  ​Here, we open the files that others leave closed, examining the details, exploring the unknown, and bringing untold stories to light. If you have a passion for true crime, psychological mysteries, and atmospheric investigations, pull up a chair at the wooden desk, subscribe, and join us as we unlock the truth one case at a time. 

Information

  • Creator
    Brief Case
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Brief Case
  • Show Website
    Brief Case