Episodes

  • TCC #12 Colleen Stan, The Girl in the Box

    TCC #12 Colleen Stan, The Girl in the Box
    Feb 14 2025
    This week we're covering another well known and completely over the top case - the case of Colleen Stan, otherwise known as the Girl in the Box. This story is a harrowing tale of kidnapping, brainwashing, torture, abuse, and luckily, survival. When Colleen was only 19 years old, she decided to hitchhike to a friends home in Northern California. This choice led to seven and a half years of living as a slave, enduring horrific mental, physical, and emotional abuse, and finally, finding her freedom in a very unexpected way.

    Join us on instagram: True Crime California

    Email case suggestions to: truecrimecaliforniapod@gmail.com

    A proud member of the Darkcast Networki

    Sources:
    https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Victim-True-Story-Girl/dp/0440204429
    https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-court-of-appeal/1771222.html
    https://www.redbluffdailynews.com/2024/08/21/cameron-hooker-trial-pushed-back-again/
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • TCC #11 The Murder of Tom and Jackie Hawks

    TCC #11 The Murder of Tom and Jackie Hawks
    Feb 6 2025
    This week we're covering a slightly lesser know, yet no less horrible case - the murder of Tom and Jackie Hawks. Tom and Jackie Hawks were two fun loving, young retirees who had set sail around the world in their hard earned and "Well Deserved" yacht before deciding to come back to the main land and regular life so they could spend more time with their first grandchild. The two put their yacht up for sale, told everyone they had a buyer... then disappeared, never to be seen again.

    Tun in now to find out what happened in this twisty tale of betrayal, robbery, and murder.

    Join us on instagram: True Crime California

    Email case suggestions to: truecrimecaliforniapod@gmail.com

    A proud member of the Darkcast Networki

    Sources:
    https://abcnews.go.com/US/receipt-target-stolen-car-mexico-unsolved-murder-investigation/story?id=68204176
    https://orangecoast.com/tag/skylar-deleon
    https://nypost.com/2024/09/07/lifestyle/what-happens-when-murder-is-your-job/
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    50 mins
  • TCC #10 Dorothea Puente Part 2

    TCC #10 Dorothea Puente Part 2
    Jan 31 2025
    Part 2! This week, we are diving into a personal favorite case: the story of Dorothea Puente! This murderous granny lived a wild life before turning her petty crimes up many notches, all the way to serial murder. From humble beginnings in Redlands, CA, all the way to dancing with the Governor and rubbing elbows with California's politically elite, and all the way back down to life in a jail cell, Dorothea Puente's life was anything but boring. It was also immensely evil, tragic, and just plain sad, and we'll be sure to talk all about all those things in this two part case!

    Fear not, we will be posting both parts back to back, so no waiting! Part one will outline her life before her murder spree began, while part two jumps right in to the killing, as well as her ridiciulous near escape, and the obvoius conclusion to the story - life in prison!

    Join us on instagram: True Crime California

    Email case suggestions to: truecrimecaliforniapod@gmail.com

    A proud member of the Darkcast Networki

    Sources:
    https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/she-nicknamed-death-house-landlady-112800788.html
    https://archive.org/details/bonegardensacram00wood_1/page/210/mode/2up
    https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/03/25/Accused-mass-killer-got-drugs-from-therapist/1593606805200/
    https://casetext.com/case/puente-v-mitchell-2
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    50 mins
  • TCC #10 Dorothea Puente Part 1

    TCC #10 Dorothea Puente Part 1
    Jan 30 2025
    This week, we are diving into a personal favorite case: the story of Dorothea Puente! This murderous granny lived a wild life before turning her petty crimes up many notches, all the way to serial murder. From humble beginnings in Redlands, CA, all the way to dancing with the Governor and rubbing elbows with California's politically elite, and all the way back down to life in a jail cell, Dorothea Puente's life was anything but boring. It was also immensely evil, tragic, and just plain sad, and we'll be sure to talk all about all those things in this two part case!

    Fear not, we will be posting both parts back to back, so no waiting! Part one will outline her life before her murder spree began, while part two jumps right in to the killing, as well as her ridiciulous near escape, and the obvoius conclusion to the story - life in prison!

    Join us on instagram: True Crime California

    Email case suggestions to: truecrimecaliforniapod@gmail.com

    A proud member of the Darkcast Networki

    Sources:
    https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/she-nicknamed-death-house-landlady-112800788.html
    https://archive.org/details/bonegardensacram00wood_1/page/210/mode/2up
    https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/03/25/Accused-mass-killer-got-drugs-from-therapist/1593606805200/
    https://casetext.com/case/puente-v-mitchell-2
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    43 mins
  • TCC #9: The Toolbox Killer

    TCC #9: The Toolbox Killer
    Jan 23 2025
    This week, we look at what can only be described as a devastating case, truly one of the worst out there - The Toolbox Killer. This case again takes place in the 1970's, when multiple young girls were abducted, tortured, sexually assaulted, and killed by two trash bag humans named Larry Bittaker and Roy Norris. These two dirt bags met in prison in a jewerly making class and became fast friends while plotting to terrorize young women and girls when they were released, which happened way too quickly considering their laundry list of past crimes. We'll talk about the making of these monsters, how they met, and the terrible things they did to innocent young women, and please be warned, this is a big trigger warning case, as the facts are very disturbing, and we do include some of the details of these murders in this episode. Listen at your own risk, and be ready to be horrified, angered, and sadened by this absolutely awful case.

    Join us on instagram: True Crime California

    Email case suggestions to: truecrimecaliforniapod@gmail.com

    A proud member of the Darkcast Networki

    Sources:
    https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Lawrence_Bittaker_and_Roy_Norris
    https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/3d/48/1046.html
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lvu63Dqr4E
    https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/watchingrobertpickton88015/transcript-of-shirley-lynette-ledford-audio-record-t3312.html
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • TCC #8: The Barbecue Murders

    TCC #8: The Barbecue Murders
    Jan 16 2025
    This week, we go back to the 70's for another infamous crime: The Barbecue Murders! This is a classic tale of parricide, but the details muddy the waters a bit when thinking about who is really at fault, and who is really a victim. Sixteen year old Marlene Olive, adopted at birth and never allowed to forget it, doesn't know love, only control. Her boyfriend, Chuck, doesn't think he's deserving of love and does whatever he can to continually earn Marlene's affection, including plotting to kill her parents, Jim and Naomi Olive. But Chuck isn't the only one Marlene draws into her web, and Jim and Naomi may not be the innocent victims you'd expect. Tune in now for a wild tale of family drama that ends in a horrific double murder.

    Join us on instagram: True Crime California

    Send us an email with case suggestions, or just say hi! truecrimecaliforniapod@gmail.com

    A proud member of the Darkcast Network

    Sources:
    https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S93C5198791
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue_murders
    https://www.mercurynews.com/2014/07/21/infamous-marin-killer-will-have-court-ordered-parole-hearing-in-september/
    https://www.newspapers.com/image/70213152/
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    52 mins
  • TCC #7 The Murder of Debbie Dorian

    TCC #7 The Murder of Debbie Dorian
    Jan 9 2025
    This week we are covering a lesser known, but still horrific (and also very interesting) case: the murder of Debbie Dorian. Debbie Dorian was a smart, driven 22 year old college student at Fresno State when her life was cut short by an unidentified attacker. Despite police taking immediate action, her case went cold.

    Just a few years later, a string of sexual assaults began taking place in a nearby town, and when police submitted DNA from one of these attacks to their database, they came up with a suprising match, that lead them on a years long hunt for a very scary man.

    Please like, rate, review, and join us on instagram! True Crime California

    A proud member of the Darkcast Network

    Sources:
    https://abc30.com/nickey-stane-debbie-dorian-fresno-apartment/14110858/
    https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/crime/article282478238.html
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJkjGtsWlDo
    https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/crime/article282478238.html
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    36 mins
  • TCC #6 Polly Klaas

    TCC #6 Polly Klaas
    Jan 4 2025
    This week we take a look at one of the most infamous, horrifying cases in California history: the abduction and murder of Polly Klaas. This story takes place in 1993, when 12 year old Polly is stolen out of her own bedroom during a sleep over with two friends, while her mother and sister slept in the other room. The boldness of the abduction, along with the inability to find a single suspect for more than two months, made this case one of the most terrifying and captivating of its time. The entire nation stood by, waiting for answers, and finally, just before the new year, they got what they were waiting for when a man was finally tied to her disappearance.

    Once Polly's killer was caught, her story was used to pass multiple new laws, including California's highly debated Three Strikes and You're Out law, which was sold to frightened voters as a way to protect our children, but ended up imprisoning thousands of non violent criminals, while others continued to walk free. While Polly's father Marc was a big proponent of these laws, her two sisters, Jess and Annie, are not, and we'll talk about why, as well as how they are choosing to honor their sister's legacy in a very different way.

    Join us on instagram! True Crime California

    A proud member of the Darkcast Network

    Sources:
    https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-petaluma-ca/
    https://abcnews.go.com/US/polly-klaas-murder-30-years-investigators-remember-dogged/story?id=103276602
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/22/polly-klaas-sisters-criminal-justice-mass-incarceration
    https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-supreme-court/1286985.html
    https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/richard-allen-davis-kidnapping-murder-polly-klaas-sleepover
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    54 mins