history
Hosted by Esther Ludlow · history · EN
Step into the darker side of history with Once Upon A Crime, a true-crime podcast that delves deep into some of the world’s most gripping cases. Hosted by an expert storyteller, Esther Ludlow, each episode unravels the mysteries behind notorious crimes, exploring the lives of victims, perpetrators, and the intricate details of the investigations that followed. With carefully researched narratives, thematic series, and thoughtful insights, Once Upon A Crime offers listeners a captivating blend of suspense, history, and human psychology. Whether you're a seasoned true-crime fan or just curious about the stories that shaped headlines, Once Upon A Crime promises to keep you on the edge of your seat.
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Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
38%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchStep into the darker side of history with Once Upon A Crime, a true-crime podcast that delves deep into some of the world’s most gripping cases. Hosted by an expert storyteller, Esther Ludlow, each episode unravels the mysteries behind notorious crimes, exploring the lives of victims, perpetrators, and the intricate details of the investigations that followed.
Once Upon A Crime is hosted by Esther Ludlow. The show has published 433 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Gregorio “Goyo” Cardenas: The Tacuba Strangler | With Jack Luna of Dark Topic" (26 October 2026, 75 minutes), "The Oracle's Daughter: Inside an American Cult" (19 October 2026, 47 minutes), and "Rocktober: Axl Rose, Welcome to the Nightmare" (12 October 2026, 38 minutes).
Once Upon A Crime publishes roughly weekly, with episodes averaging 36 minutes across 433 episodes.
Booking probability for Once Upon A Crime is 38%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Once Upon A Crime requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Once Upon A Crime's contact route on record: verified email.
Esther Ludlow hosts Once Upon A Crime, a history podcast with 433 episodes published.
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Episode #388
Can a serial killer truly be rehabilitated, or can a clever murderer simply convince the world that he's changed? In this special episode of Once Upon a Crime , Esther welcomes back Jack Luna, host and producer of the...
Episode #387
How does a free-spirited hippie become the authoritarian leader of a religious cult? And why do ordinary people remain loyal to dangerous leaders, even when faced with abuse, isolation, and fear? This week on Once Upon...
Episode #386
Before he became the legendary—and notoriously volatile—frontman of Guns N’ Roses, Axl Rose was a troubled kid from Lafayette, Indiana, with a childhood marked by family secrets, abuse, and rebellion. In this special...
Once Upon A Crime
Axl Rose, American Cults & Mexico’s ‘Reformed’ Serial Killer - Welcome to Spooky Season on Once Upon a Crime! Spooky Season has arrived on Once Upon a Crime! October is Esther’s favorite month, and this year...
Episode #385
Taylor Parker presented herself as a hardworking Texas country girl, a devoted girlfriend, an heiress to a family fortune—and soon, an excited mother-to-be. There was just one problem. Much of it wasn't true. Taylor...
Episode #384
In July 2022, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla was behind the wheel of a car that slammed into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, at nearly 100 miles per hour. Her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic “Dom” Russo, and...
Once Upon A Crime
In this bonus episode, Esther shares the complete interview with journalist Annette McGivney, author of Plastic Shaman: The True Story of a Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America’s Misguided Quest for Wellness, expanding...
Episode #382
In 2009, self-help superstar James Arthur Ray invited dozens of followers to a six-day retreat near Sedona, Arizona, promising a life-changing journey of spiritual transformation. Instead, his Spiritual Warrior program...
Once Upon A Crime
In this bonus episode of Once Upon a Crime , we ask a disturbing question: did the Scott Peterson case inspire other men to murder their wives? We examine the cases of Lori Hacking, Jennifer Corbin, and Teresa Lane...
Episode #382
In Part Two of Scott Peterson Revisited, Esther is joined by her sister Yolanda to take a closer look at the claims now being made on behalf of convicted murderer Scott Peterson. In 2024, the Los Angeles Innocence...
Once Upon A Crime
In this bonus episode of Scott Peterson Revisited , we look beyond the evidence to examine the man at the center of the case. Was Scott Peterson capable of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son...
Episode #381
Twenty-three years after the murders of Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Conner, the case against Scott Peterson is once again under scrutiny. In January 2024, the Los Angeles Innocence Project announced that it was...
Once Upon A Crime
More than twenty years after Laci Peterson's murder captivated the nation, one of America's most infamous true crime cases is back in the spotlight. In this upcoming special two-part series, Once Upon a Crime host...
Episode #380
In this episode of Once Upon a Crime, we revisits the murder of Sheila von Wiese Mack through the new book When Lambs Become Wolves by retired Sergeant Rasul T. Freelon, who knew Sheila and her daughter Heather years...
Episode #379
Part 2 of the Sylvia Likens case examines the heartbreaking final hours of Sylvia Likens, one of the most horrific child abuse and murder cases in American history. On October 26, 1965, after months of unimaginable...
Once Upon A Crime
Police arrived at the New York Street house and quickly realized the story didn’t add up. Within hours, Gertrude Baniszewski, her children, and neighborhood teens were arrested in the torture of 16-year-old Sylvia...
Episode #378
Some crimes are so shocking that they force us to ask a question that seems impossible to answer. Not 'Who did it?' We know who did it. Not even 'Why?' Though we'll spend this series trying to understand that. The...
Once Upon A Crime
How does an ordinary home become the scene of extraordinary evil, and how does a community fail to save a sixteen-year-old girl? This week on Once Upon a Crime, we begin a two-part series on the murder of Sylvia Likens...
Once Upon A Crime
In the summer of 1965, 16-year-old Sylvia Likens was left in the care of a mother of seven while her parents traveled for work. What should have been a temporary arrangement turned into one of the most horrifying child...
Episode #377
She poisoned her husband. She nearly killed her own daughter. She vanished while out on bail. Then she reinvented herself with a brand-new identity… and somehow convinced people she was her own twin sister. This week...
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