Special: Best of Fresh Hell (Vol. 6)

E333: MURDER - Starr Faithfull (part III)

In the final part of our series on Starr Faithfull, the investigation begins, and this is where the mystery begins! Why were parts of her clothing missing? Why did two autopsies reach different conclusions? What was in Starr's diary? And what role, if any, did the powerful former mayor Andrew J. Peters play after years of abusing her? In this final episode, we walk through the investigation, the evidence, and the theories that have been debated for more than 90 years. We also talk about how the press turned Starr into a "party girl," and why we think that completely misses the point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

E332: MURDER - Starr Faithfull (part II)

Starr Faithfull finally tells her family the secret she’s been carrying for nearly a decade: she has been sexually abused by a powerful and trusted relative since childhood. In Part 2, we talk about what happened after that revelation, as her family struggles to help her in an era when trauma was poorly understood and the modern ideas of treatment were more than questionable. This is Part 2 of our 3-part series on Starr Faithfull. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

E331: MURDER - Starr Faithfull

In 1931, the body of 25-year-old Starr Faithfull washed ashore on a Long Island beach. Newspapers and the public speculated whether her death was murder, suicide, or an accident. But before we can answer that question, we need to go back to the beginning: to old Boston money, political power, and the man Starr knew as "Uncle Andrew." Content note: This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, eating disorders, addiction, suicidal ideation, and mental health struggles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Special: Best of Fresh Hell (Vol. 6)

We're wrapping up our summer break series, and we're leaving murder, mystery, and historical villains behind and head into the strange world of UFO sightings, and things that definitely shouldn't have been lurking outside people's homes after dark. Or before dark. Pretty much at any time! First, we travel to Scotland in 1979 for the Dechmont Woods Incident, where a respected groundskeeper named Robert Taylor claimed he encountered a bizarre metallic craft and strange spiked objects in the woods near Livingston. To this day, it's the only UFO case in British history to result in a police investigation. Then we head to rural Illinois in 1973, where the tiny town of Enfield found itself at the center of a monster panic after a local man reported an encounter with a strange three-legged creature with glowing eyes. Was it an escaped animal, a case of social contagion, or something far stranger? Finally, we visit a farmhouse near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where an extended family spent an unforgettable August night defending their home from mysterious glowing creatures now known as the Kelly-Hopkinsville Goblins. Nearly seventy years later, it remains one of the most famous UFO encounters in American history. As always, these are condensed versions of our original episodes. If you'd like the full stories, you'll find the complete episodes waiting in our archive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Special: Best of Fresh Hell (Vol. 5)

While Johanna recovers from surgery and Annie does her best to prevent her from immediately returning to work, we're bringing you another trip into the Fresh Hell archives. This week features condensed versions of two of our most heartbreaking cases, both were originally released as two-part episodes. First, we travel to Ashland, Kentucky in 1881, where a horrific crime on Christmas Eve left an entire community grieving and searching for answers. The Ashland Tragedy became one of the most sensational cases of its era, complete with false accusations, mob justice, and many questions, that remain debated and unanswered nearly 150 years later. Then we move to California in 2000 for the murder of fifteen-year-old Nicholas Markowitz. What begins as a petty dispute over a drug debt turns into a senseless tragedy that shocked the nation and inspired the film Alpha Dog.  As always, these are streamlined versions of the original stories. If you'd like all the details, historical context, side tangents, and moments where Annie and Johanna become increasingly frustrated with humanity, the full episodes are waiting for you in our archive. Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual assault of minors, child murder, kidnapping, and violence against children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]