Bathsheba Spooner

Bathsheba Spooner

This week on Menopause is Murder, Marguerite takes us back to Revolutionary War-era Massachusetts for the scandalous and tragic story of Bathsheba Spooner—the woman who became the first woman executed in the newly independent United States. Born into privilege as the daughter of a prominent Loyalist politician, Bathsheba seemed destined for a comfortable life. Instead, she found herself trapped in an unhappy marriage, caught in the chaos of the American Revolution, and carrying on a forbidden affair with a teenage soldier. When her husband, Joshua Spooner, turned up beaten to death and dumped in a well, investigators uncovered a conspiracy involving Bathsheba, her young lover, and two British deserters. But this case is about far more than murder. Was Bathsheba a cold-blooded mastermind? A desperate woman trying to escape an abusive marriage?

Cara Rintala

This week on Menopause is Murder, Angela shares the tangled and heartbreaking story of Cara Rintala—a case that left juries, investigators, and true crime fans divided for more than a decade. When paramedic Annamarie Cochrane Rintala was found beaten, strangled, and covered in white paint in the basement of the family home, suspicion quickly focused on her wife, Cara. What followed was one of the most unusual legal sagas in recent true crime history: multiple trials, hung juries, overturned convictions, disputed forensic evidence, and years of courtroom drama. Was this a carefully staged crime scene? A tragic domestic dispute that turned deadly? Or a case where reasonable doubt refused to go away? Angela takes us through the volatile relationship, the bizarre paint evidence, the twists and turns of four separate trials, and the questions that continue to surround the death of Annamarie Rintala. Grab your coffee, lock the basement door, and join us as we unravel a case where the verdict changed, but the controversy never ended.

Wu Zeitan

This week on Menopause is Murder, Marguerite takes us all the way back to ancient China to tell the jaw-dropping story of the woman who refused to stay in her lane—and became the only female emperor in Chinese history: Wu Zetian. Born in 624, Wu Zetian began her journey as a teenage concubine in the imperial court. Through intelligence, ambition, political maneuvering, and a willingness to eliminate anyone standing in her way, she climbed from palace servant to empress—and eventually seized the throne for herself. For decades, she ruled one of the world's most powerful empires, implementing reforms, promoting talented officials, expanding China's influence, and terrifying her enemies. But was she a brilliant ruler unfairly vilified by history? Or a ruthless tyrant who left a trail of bodies on her path to power? Historians still debate the answer. What isn't disputed is that Wu Zetian shattered every rule of her time and became one of the most fascinating—and controversial—women in history. Grab your tea, sharpen your political instincts, and join us as Marguerite unpacks the rise, reign, and remarkable legacy of the woman who proved that behind every powerful man... there might just be an even more powerful woman waiting to take the throne. Because sometimes menopause isn't murder... it's a hostile takeover of an empire.

Laurie Leigh Shaver

This week on Menopause is Murder, Angela shares the shocking story of Laurie Leigh Shaver—a case filled with deception, secrets, and a backyard that held a deadly truth. When Michael Douglas Shaver suddenly vanished in 2015, friends and family were told he had simply walked away from his life. But as the years passed, something didn't add up. Messages continued to appear from Michael's social media accounts, yet no one had actually seen him. The mystery deepened until investigators uncovered a horrifying discovery buried beneath a backyard fire pit. As detectives peeled back layers of lies, they uncovered allegations of infidelity, impersonation, and a cover-up that stretched for years. The case took an even more dramatic turn when a surprising defense emerged during trial, leaving jurors to determine who was telling the truth. Join Angela as she unravels this bizarre Florida case where a missing husband, a concrete fire pit, and years of deception led to a murder conviction that stunned the community.

Linda Burfield Hazzard

This week, Marguerite takes us to the misty shores of Washington State to tell the chilling story of Linda Burfield Hazzard—the self-proclaimed healer who believed the cure for nearly every illness was simple: stop eating. What began as an alternative health movement soon became a nightmare for the patients who entered her infamous sanitarium, known locally as Starvation Heights. As wealthy clients wasted away under her care, questions mounted about whether Hazzard was a misunderstood health reformer—or a calculating killer using starvation, fraud, and forged wills to profit from her victims. Marguerite unravels the shocking case of the woman known as the "Starvation Doctor," whose deadly fasting treatments left a trail of bodies and one of the most bizarre murder trials of the early 20th century. Was she a visionary ahead of her time, a dangerous quack, or one of America's earliest female serial killers? Grab a snack before listening—you'll definitely need one for this episode.