Female Criminals

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we’re discussing cases of abduction, and examining some of the most infamous kidnappings throughout true crime history. We'll hear clips from our shows across the Parcast Network, and look at the different reasons why a criminal would carry out such a heinous act. Clips featured: Serial Killers: Ted Bundy Pt. 1, Female Criminals: Phoolan Devi Pt. 1, Hostage: Frank Sinatra Jr. Pt. 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to the unfortunate spread of COVID-19, Parcast has decided to halt recording for the time-being. This is a precautionary measure taken to ensure the safety of our hosts and staff. In the meantime, we're excited to share one of our classic episodes that we know you'll enjoy! In 2002, after twenty years of marriage, 44-year-old Susan Polk of San Francisco, called it quits with her husband, 70-year-old Felix Polk. Susan's reasons for divorce were simple: she believed her husband was a spy working for the CIA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we’re discussing cannibals and vampires. We’ll examine strange cases of predators who drink blood and feast on flesh, and delve into their unique psychology. Clips featured: Unsolved Murders: Atlas Vampire, Female Criminals: Tracey Wigginton, Serial Killers: Albert Fish Pt. 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By 2004, Lisa Nowak’s friendship with Bill Oefelein had heated up into an extramarital affair. Despite knowing she was risking her marriage and job, Lisa didn’t care. She loved Bill. But when he tried to leave her for a younger woman, Lisa’s love turned into a dangerous obsession. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we're looking into the crimes that affect wealthy victims. While we may assume the wealthy are most often the victims of crimes like robbery, in reality, the wealthy are less likely to be victimized than the poor. Why is this the case, and why do we find it so fascinating when the wealthy become the victims of illegal activities? Clips featured: Gone: Michael Rockefeller, Hostage: John Paul Getty III Pt. 2, Unexplained Mysteries: Alfred Lowenstein Pt. 2, Con Artists: Jeanne de la Motte Pt. 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All her life, Lisa Nowak dreamt of becoming an astronaut. She worked tirelessly in pursuit of this goal. And then in 2003, when space flight was just within her grasp, Lisa met fellow astronaut, Bill Oefelein. She had no idea that her relationship with Bill would soon make her risk everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. What motivates someone to assassinate a President, or their musical hero? Today we’re highlighting three notorious assassinations and the perpetrators behind them. Using clips from shows across the Parcast Network, we’ll see what motivated them to kill some of the most prominent figures in history, and explore the lasting impact of their crimes. Clips featured: Conspiracy Theories: Lincoln Assassination Pt. 1, Assassinations: John Lennon, Female Criminals: Phoolan Devi Pt. 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bobby ruined every single romantic moment Lisa Connelly had with Marty Puccio. He was always hanging around, saying cruel things and being physically abusive towards anyone that challenged him. So Lisa, Marty and Lisa's best friend, Ali Willis, recruited four more teenagers and together they all set about ridding the world of Bobby Kent for good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Stars—they’re just like us. So why are we so intrigued by celebrity death, and why is the intrigue amplified when the death is unexpected? Today we’re discussing those high-profile cases. We'll dive into clips from shows across the Parcast Network, including Conspiracy Theories, Unsolved Murders, and Not Guilty. Clips featured: Conspiracy Theories: Marilyn Monroe Pt. 2, Unsolved Murders: Natalie Wood Pt. 1, Not Guilty: Robert Blake Pt. 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lisa Connelly and Alice Willis were two Florida teens whose friendship turned homicidal in 1992 as they bonded over their common enemy: Alice’s ex-boyfriend, Bobby Kent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the last Sunday of every month, Parcast Rewind replays a classic episode of Female Criminals that you might have missed! Dorothea Puente didn’t set out to become Sacramento’s most notorious female serial killer. But she did have a criminal streak that grew more sinister, culminating in the deaths of almost a dozen residents of the boarding house she ran. How was she able to evade detection from family members and social workers? And how did she get away with her first murder? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we're exploring cases of unhealthy relationships and examining some of true crime's most notorious couples. We'll dive into clips from shows across the Parcast Network, and look at how the twisted—often abusive—dynamic between two criminals shapes the crimes they commit. Clips featured: Crimes of Passion: Bonnie and Clyde Pt. 1, Female Criminals: Phoolan Devi Pt. 1, Con Artists: Jeanne de la Motte Pt. 1, Cults: Eastern Lightning Pt. 1, Serial Killers: Carol M. Bundy Pt. 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Broderick’s bitter divorce unleashed an unpredictable, raging violence in Betty. She sought the ultimate revenge when she shot Dan and his new wife, Linda in cold blood. The story, the trial, and Betty’s lack of remorse would go on to captivate the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we're taking a look at what some of the most infamous criminals in history have in common: a brutal childhood. As we dive into clips from shows across the Parcast Network, we'll explore how their early years of abuse, neglect, and trauma all shaped these individuals into notorious offenders. Clips featured: Female Criminals: La Mataviejitas Pt. 1, Cults: Charles Manson Pt. 1, Serial Killers: Andrei Chikatilo Pt. 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After discovering her husband’s affair in 1983, Betty Broderick’s perfect world came crashing down. During their protracted divorce, Betty’s behavior became increasingly short and violent—until she ultimately decided to take matters into her own hands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we explore the unique and shocking cases when elders we expect to respect defy society and commit crimes in their old age. We'll dive into clips from shows across the Parcast Network, and discuss all the reasons a senior citizen may defy the norm and break the law. Clips featured: Con Artists: Bernie Madoff Pt. 2, Female Criminals & Serial Killers: Dorothea Puente Pt. 2, Kingpins: Griselda Blanco Pt. 3, Cults: The Brethren Pt. 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1911, Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard took her cruel alternative medicine practices to a new level by opening her infamous sanitarium in Washington—which locals would dub "Starvation Heights.” There, Linda continued her abuse and fraud by financially exploiting and starving wealthy British heiresses, Dora and Claire Williamson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we're exploring those rare and hopeful instances where victims managed to break out of their captors' clutches and flee to freedom. We'll dive into clips from shows across the Parcast Network, and discuss all the ways in which a victim might escape and the psychological effects their traumatic experiences might have had on them. Clips featured: Female Criminals: Valerie Solanas Pt. 2, Crimes of Passion: Ming Sen Shiue Pt. 2, Cults: Worker’s Institute Pt. 2, Hostage: James Riley Pt. 2, Serial Killers: David Parker Ray Pt. 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She was a turn-of-the-20th century medical practitioner who preached starvation as a method of curing disease. But it was Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard’s childhood exposure to fad remedies that shaped her interest in alternative medicine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the last Sunday of every month, Parcast Rewind replays a classic episode of Female Criminals that you might have missed! Anne Bonny and her lover Calico Jack Rackham tore through the Caribbean together from 1718 to 1720, plundering loot from smaller ships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we're taking a closer look at women who subverted their maternal expectations to lead a life of crime. We'll analyze these instances with clips from shows across the Parcast Network, and discuss the different ways these mothers misbehaved. Clips featured: The Dark Side Of: Stage Mother, Con Artists: Sante Kimes Pt. 2, Serial Killers: The Giggling Granny Pt. 1, Female Criminals: Torture Mother Pt. 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She never wanted to grow up. Treva Throneberry did everything she could to delay adulthood, even going as far as traveling from town to town throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s posing as a teenage runaway—pretending, lying, and stealing to cover her tracks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we explore the idea of Psychological Manipulation—the tactics criminals use to deceive, coerce, and exert control over their victims. We'll dive into clips from shows across the Parcast Network, and discuss how these methods work, and most importantly, their dangerous consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By the winter of 1924, Celia Cooney had robbed 10 stores with her husband across Brooklyn. "The Bobbed-Haired Bandit" eventually ran out of luck, only to find that her capture and trial made her a nationwide star. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Also known as the “Bobbed-Haired Bandit,” Celia Cooney and her husband became a media sensation during the winter of 1924 when they pulled off ten robberies in just under three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: Stories of her exploits on Rum Row in the early 1920s made Gertrude Lythgoe a tabloid darling. As books and article series were published, America was captivated by the “Queen of the Bootleggers.” Unfortunately for her, so was the United States Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: During Prohibition, while most young women were focused on getting married and having a family, Gertrude Lythgoe was busy running her wholesale liquor empire in the Bahamas. She started as a quiet secretary, but found herself venturing into the dangerous waters of Rum Row. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up until 2001, Ana Montes led a double life as a Cuban spy and a high-ranking analyst in the U.S. intelligence community. A nationally recognized expert, she was nicknamed the "Queen of Cuba," until top-secret information provided by her own sister led to her arrest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ana Belen Montes was a smart, ambitious Puerto-Rican American with a passion for defending the sovereignty of Latin American nations. In 1985, her drive for social justice found an outlet when she was recruited as a spy for Cuban Intelligence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By the late 1960s, Valerie Solanas tried to start an underground feminist movement using Andy Warhol to publicize her vision for a new world. But she became consumed with paranoia and rage. She was convinced that Warhol planned to steal her ideas and pawn them off as his own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A radical feminist writer who overcame a childhood of poverty and sexual abuse to put herself through college. Valerie Solanas became obsessed with overthrowing the patriarchy — by any means necessary. But an undiagnosed mental disorder inspired increasingly erratic behavior, which soon took a criminal turn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1726, Mary Toft seemed to birth a series of strange creatures: rabbits, cats, and never-before-seen hybrid animals. She quickly became a national sensation. But how did an ordinary English wife and mother deceive the most accomplished doctors of the day? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By 1997, Mary Kay Letourneau's affair with her 13-year-old student seemed doomed to be exposed when she found herself pregnant with his baby. But even as she faced arrest and imprisonment, she continued to maintain that they were in love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a troubled childhood, Mary Kay Letourneau always thought she had to be perfect: the perfect daughter, the perfect wife, the perfect mother. But when she found herself falling for 13-year-old Vili Fualaau at her Washington elementary school, she was ready to throw everything away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The trials continue: Tituba’s devilish confession sends chills through the town of Salem. And more men and women are tortured, imprisoned and executed as a result of the 1693 proceedings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Massachusetts 1692-1693: Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne—the three women at the center of the Salem Witch Trials. Discover the three key factors that combined to create their witch hunt, as well as the months of moral panic and finger-pointing that followed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a not-so-promising future in Victorian England, Mary Ann Cotton embarks on a journey of seducing, marrying, and killing her spouses and children to collect her insurance policies. Once she was caught in 1873, she learned just how unforgiving society could be to those who transgressed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A career gold-digger with a penchant for arsenic, and a trail of murders that would make headlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1920's New York City, policy bank queen Stephanie St. Clair was sitting on the top of the world. She had become one of the most successful policy bankers in her adopted home of Harlem, and had the cash to prove it. But as the Prohibition came to a close, Stephanie would be faced with a formidable new enemy - white mobsters encroaching on her turf. Sponsors! Bombas - Save 20% on your first purchase when you shop at Bombas.com/CRIMINALS! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1911, 13-year-old Stephanie St. Clair left the Caribbean for America and never looked back. The scrappy teen lied about her age, and soon found herself on the streets of Harlem at the dawn of the Harlem Renaissance and the Prohibition Era - two moments in history that helped launch her career as the queenpin of a highly lucrative gambling ring. And ultimately, as New York City's first black woman gangster Sponsors! Best Fiends - Download FREE the 5-star rated mobile puzzle game Best Fiends on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Literati Books - Go to LITERATIBOOKS.COM and use promo code CRIMINALS for $20 OFF your FIRST BOX. Plus, kids THREE and up get a special blacklight pen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Easter Sunday, 1903, Marie Sukloff awoke in her Russian prison cell to the sounds of a massacre. She overheard one of the bloodiest pogroms in Russian history. The bloodshed ignited a fire that Marie would feel to her dying day. In the years to come, she would plan and carry out an assassination that would make her famous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the grip of Tsar Nicholas II loosened at the turn of the 20th century and the wave of Communism started to rise in Russia, a young girl named Marie Sukloff dutifully took her place in the revolution. After watching her peasant farming parents struggle to make ends meet, she learned to read from political bulletins, waiting for her day to strike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was called “one of the most brutal and bizarre crimes Australia has ever seen.” In 1989, Tracey Wigginton not only murdered bar patron Edward Buldock – she and her fellow vampires drank his blood. As the investigation unfolded, her small coastal town was riveted by the story of Tracey’s small occultist following, all self-proclaimed lesbian vampires. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After heiress Marjorie Congdon was aquitted of her mother's 1977 murder, she remarried and began to build a new life. But mysterious deaths continued to plague Marjorie, who would become a suspect in numerous murders and arsons for decades. Sponsors! Best Fiends - Download the 5-star rated mobile game for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Marjorie Congdon was adopted at three months old, she became the doted up daughter of an heiress. She grew up wanting for nothing, showered in gifts and affection. But Marjorie still suffered, eventually diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. Her mother, afraid of scandal, couldn't accept the diagnosis and Marjorie was never treated. Left unchecked, Marjorie would bring chaos and death to all those around her. Sponsors! Literati - Go to LITERATIBOOKS.COM and use promo code CRIMINALS for $20 OFF your FIRST BOX. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Irma Grese quickly proved herself as one of the most vicious guards at Ravensbruck concentration camp. In 1943, she was promoted and sent to Auschwitz, where her reputation for cruelty only grew. Thousands of interned prisoners suffered under her reign until they were finally liberated by Allied forces. Sponsors! Embrace Pet Insurance - Get your FREE quote at EmbracePetInsurance.com/CRIMINALS. Away - For $20 off a suitcase, visit AwayTravel.com/criminals and use promo code CRIMINALS during checkout! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Irma Grese grew up in rural Germany, she watched Adolf Hitler rise to power. Completely swept up in the nationalist views of the Nazi Party, Irma tried to find the best way to serve her country. Eventually, she found her purpose as a concentration camp guard. Parcasters - Is there any truth behind the rumored society that protects the secrets of the Holy Grail? Learn more about the Priory of Sion on this week’s episode of Conspiracy Theories! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Manson Family turned onto Cielo Drive, time slowed to a crawl. In a few minutes, they would commit five murders that became the most infamous slayings in American history. They intended to start a riot that would burn LA to the ground. Sponsors! Best Fiends - Play the 5-star rated mobile game! Download FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the R, Best Fiends! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By July, 1969, the "Manson Girls” saw Charlie as more than a leader, he was the second coming of Christ. Manson’s cult gospel called them to prepare for a fast approaching race war called Helter Skelter that would burn Southern California to the ground. And if the war didn’t start on its own, they would light the fuse. Parcasters - Don’t miss all of our special Summer of ‘69 episodes by subscribing to Parcast Presents: Summer of ‘69, on Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts! Sponsors! Embrace Pet Insurance - Get your FREE quote at EmbracePetInsurance.com/CRIMINALS right now! Zola - Build your free wedding website on Zola and get $50 toward your registry at ZOLA.com/CRIMINALS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When 23-year-old Brittany Holberg found herself homeless in Texas, performing sex work, and addicted to cocaine, she didn't think her life would get any worse. But then a botched robbery became a murder in 1996, and Brittany had to learn to build a new life for herself on Death Row. Sponsors! Gabi - Take 2 minutes and see if you can save up to $865 when you go to Gabi.com/CRIMINALS. Grove Collaborative - Go to Grove.co/CRIMINALS to get a FREE 5-piece Spring Cleaning Set from Mrs. Meyer’s and Grove— a $30 value! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices