Dallas Socialite Sandra Bridewell cultivated an image of elegance and vulnerability.

In part one of our series, Beneath the Charm: Unveiling The Black Widow, Sandra Bridewell’s first husband’s life tragically ends with his alleged suicide.

Was the promising young dentist driven to shoot himself in a fit of depression over the crushing burden of mounting debt from Sandra’s lavish lifestyle?

Or was there a sinister motive for murder? True crime author, John Leake continues the story from his book The Meaning Of Malice: On The Trail Of The Black Widow Of Highland Park.

Within a year of her husband’s death, Bridewell hunts for a new suitor.

A whirlwind romance and marriage to her second husband catapults her to the top of Dallas society—but not for long.

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Amidst the sprawling cityscape of Dallas, where power and prosperity intersect with secrets and lies, Sandra Bridewell’s story unravels.

Bridewell was a beautiful, alluring socialite in the affluent enclave of Highland Park when Dallas was the world’s most popular TV show and the Dallas Cowboys were America’s team. 

It is a tale woven with deception, sex, and the dark underbelly of high society in a close-knit community known as the Beverly Hills of the Southwest – Highland Park.

Known infamously as “The Black Widow,” Sandra’s life story reads like a script from a classic thriller, her charm, and beauty masking a sinister reality of purported suicides, murders, beatings, romance scams, religious cons, and identity theft.

True Crime author John Leake peels back the layers of Sandra Bridewell’s enigmatic persona in The Meaning of Malice: On The Trail Of The Black Widow Of Highland Park. 

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A new breed of con artists herd unwitting victims into a digital slaughterhouse.

Master manipulators use a scam called “Pig Butchering.”

They fatten up their prey with affection and the promise of riches, like feeding a hog on the way to the slaughterhouse.

Pig Butchers use psychological manipulation to bleed victim’s savings. 

If you believe similar schemes have victimized your family, friends, or business, report them to your local FBI Field Office, the Federal Trade Commission, and the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center.

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In the shadowy underworld of early 20th-century New York City, a nefarious counterfeiting operation run by cunning Sicilian criminals thrived—until William Flynn and the U.S. Secret Service set their sights on bringing the ring to justice.

At the heart of the story is the classic clash between good and evil, law and lawlessness.

But in William Flynn, we have the archetypal determined detective hero – relentless, clever, and utterly committed to justice.

This is a follow-up to our last episode about Flynn, known as the Bulldog Detective.

I have curated the work of some of the best true crime writers from the early 20th Century.

Please let me know if you like to hear me read these stories.

PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU WANT TO HEAR MORE VINTAGE TRUE CRIME STORIES

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Through the mist of forgotten histories, the figure of William J. Flynn beckons, offering a glimpse into a life that, though eclipsed by time, remains a testament to human endeavor and spirit.

In the early 20th century, Flynn, known as the “Bulldog Detective,” was one of the most famous detectives in America.

As head of the U.S. Secret Service and later the Bureau of Investigation (forerunner of the FBI), Flynn led the chase for counterfeiters, took on the first Mafia crime family, pursued German spies during World War I, and launched America’s first “war on terrorism” against anarchist bombers who blew up Wall Street.

Yet today, Flynn is largely forgotten, overshadowed by his more controversial successor, J. Edgar Hoover. 

A new book aims to change that and restore Flynn to his rightful place in history. 

In “The Bulldog Detective,” terrorism expert Jeffrey D. Simon provides the first full biography of this remarkable yet unsung American lawman.

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The mystery of Patty Hearst’s transformation from a college student born into privilege to a Marxist militant wielding an M-1 carbine in a bank robbery remains as compelling as ever on the 50th anniversary of her kidnapping. 

The abduction of William Randolph Heart’s granddaughter captured America’s attention in 1974.

The saga of 19-year-old Patty Hearst pushed the impeachment of President Richard Nixon off newspaper headlines. 

Searching for Patty Hearst by journalist Roger Rapoport delves into the heart of a story that blurs the lines between victim and perpetrator, between heiress and revolutionary.

Was she a willing convert to the cause of the Symbionese Liberation Army or a young woman broken and brainwashed by her captors? 

You decide.

Link to Roger Rapoport’s Website: Searching for Patty Hearst

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David Berkowitz, known as the “Son of Sam,” terrorized New York City for a year in the late 1970s with a series of random murders and cryptic taunts to police and the press.

Ever since then, the question of why he did it and if Berkowitz had accomplices from a Satan-worshipping cult has produced ceaseless speculation. 

Now, Dr. Michael Caparrelli provides new insights into the mind of David Berkowitz in a new book titled Monster Mirror. Dr. Caparrelli is a behavioral scientist and was a pastor for 16 years.

Drawing from 100 hours of face-to-face interviews, Dr. Caparrelli explores Berkowitz’s transformation from an infamous serial killer to a figure of introspection.

My interview with Dr. Caparrelli sheds light on the complex psychological factors and experiences that shaped Berkowitz’s path to violence. 

It also examines his claims of religious conversion in prison and features a new confession.

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I opened my reporter’s notebook to the historical case called the “Nine Days Queen.”

It’s a tragic story from 16th-century England about Lady Jane Grey.

Her life, a fleeting moment in the annals of English royalty, ended abruptly with her execution at just 16 years old.

I take you to London’s National Gallery to see her last moment poignantly captured in oil on canvas.

National Gallery painting “Execution of Lady Jane Grey”: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/paul-delaroche-the-execution-of-lady-jane-grey

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This story shrouded in mystery, involves a Texas prison escapee that could be ripped straight from a spy novel.

Bank robber and suspected drug smuggler Charles J. Woods of Dallas made a daring escape from a Texas prison and subsequently disappeared into the realm of the Mena Arkansas Conspiracy. 

In my exclusive interview with fugitive hunter Louis Fawcett, we unravel the threads of Woods’ escape to the mysterious town of Mena, Arkansas.

The town’s small airport in the Quachirta mountains was the base of operations for Barry Seal, a notorious drug and arms smuggler known for his connections to the CIA and narco Pablo Escobar.

What was Charles Woods, a pilot, doing using the alias Richard Arthur Mills on a government identification card at the Naval Ammunition Depot in Oklahoma?

Sit back and listen to this fugitive’s tale from the world of crime, mystery, and intrigue.

Links to Stories about the Eastham Prison Unit

You can hear more about Bonne and Clyde in my April 11th, 2023 episode The Enduring Fascination of Bonnie and Clyde: A Love Story Gone Wrong.

You can hear just how tough Eastham was from David Stacks, one of its former wardens, in my November 28th, 2023 episode, Hard Time In Hell Among Texas Most Dangerous Prisoners.

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Death Row Calling–I Know Where Your Daughters Live

I delve into the shadowy underworld of contraband communication, where prisoners wielding illegal cell phones orchestrate a web of threats and criminal enterprises from behind bars. 

My story revolves around the chilling case of Richard Tabler, a serial killer on Texas Death Row. 

Tabler’s audacious use of a smuggled cell phone to threaten a Texas Senator ignited a political firestorm, unmasking a glaring security breach within the prison system. 

Contraband Cell Phones Seized at the Polunsky Prison Unit in Texas

I reveal the alarming extent to which inmates can exploit contraband technology to reach beyond prison walls, posing a significant threat to public safety and the integrity of the penal system.

Serial Killer Richard “Blue” Tabler on Texas Death Row 2007

You will also get a look inside the mind of a bizarre, cold-blooded serial killer who recruited an Army soldier from Fort Hood as his accomplice.

And shocker, Tabler was a police drug informant committing murders.

Serial Killer Richard Tabler — Mugshot Texas Death Row

In a typewritten letter to me from death row, Tabler claimed he had found Jesus there.

Once you hear this, tell me if you believe him.

READ: Serial Killer Richard Tabler’s Death Row Letter To Reporter Robert Riggs

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Nothing Good Happens After Midnight In the vast, rugged terrain of Texas, where the stories of outlaws and the law are etched into the very soil, we find a beacon of knowledge in an unexpected place: the walls of a maximum-security prison.  My guest, David Stacks guest is a seasoned Texas prison warden, a guardian of society's most dangerous individuals. The retired Warden is now the Director of the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville, Texas. Having spent decades overseeing some of the most notorious criminals in the state, Stacks brings a wealth of insight into the criminal psyche. But more than that, he offers invaluable tips on personal safety, gleaned from his years of experience amid danger.  What can ordinary citizens learn from the strict protocols and keen observations of a prison warden? For one thing, nothing good happens after midnight. As we uncover these insights, we not only peer into the abyss of criminal minds but also learn how to safeguard ourselves in a world where unpredictability is the only certainty.  The Texas Prison Museum The Texas Prison Museum, established in 1989 in Huntsville, Texas, offers a profound insight into the history and operations of the state's prison system, the largest in the world. Huntsville, known for its pivotal role in the Texas Prison System, houses this museum due to its historical significance, being the site of the first prison and the headquarters for the state's Department of Criminal Justice. The museum features a diverse array of artifacts and exhibits, including an original electric chair used for 361 executions and various inmate-made objects, from craftwork to contraband.  FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast  SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps. TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT  that you want to hear more about