Episodes
Kidnapping might seem like an odd solution to low levels of education, but for The Democratic People's Republic of Korea it seemed like a perfect plan. Whisk away international intelligentsia to your hermit kingdom and reprogram them to become perfect North Korean citizens, capable of pushing forward your scientific endeavours – or more importantly, directing a cult classic knock-off Godzilla movie. Unfortunately, it is a plan that hasn’t gone down overly well with the rest of the world. So how did it happen? And is it still going on today?Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHa...
When Christine Mackinday and her boyfriend were interrupted in bed by her ex-fiancé – a 200-pound ex-MMA fighter who had legally changed his name to War Machine – she had every reason to fear for her life.This is the wild true story of Jonathan Koppenhaver: self-proclaimed “Alpha Male”, failed UFC fighter, wannabe pornstar and reality-show embarrassment – and his inevitable, tragic, violent revenge.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Get your tour tickets at redhandedpodcast.com!In 2001 on a remote stretch of highway in Australia’s Northern Territory, British backpacker Peter Falconio vanished. His girlfriend, Joanne Lees, told police that they had been attacked by a strange man. The subsequent investigation saw local drug runner Bradley Murdoch jailed for life - but questions still linger, especially around the truthfulness of the story that Joanne told...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The state of Pamela Werner’s body alone would have been enough to send 1930s Peking into a frenzy. She’d been frantically stabbed, her chest cut wide open, and four of her internal organs had been precisely removed...But Pamela was the daughter of a high-ranking British diplomat. And the death of a white girl in the ancient Chinese capital, in 1939 – when anti-foreigner revolts were bubbling and the entire country was under threat of invasion by Japan – rocked the city, in the last days of old China.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollo...
Between September 1992 and November 1993 the remains of seven backpackers were found dotted around Australia’s Belanglo State Forest. The long-putrefied bodies had all been shot multiple times by the same .22 calibre rifle. Some had snapped spines; others had been used as target practice. Despite all signs pointing to the Milat family, the real challenge for police was finding which of the ten Milat brothers to point the finger at...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Shot dead in broad daylight outside her house in West London – the killing of Jill Dando is one of Britain’s most high-profile murders. As one of the BBC’s best-known TV presenters through the 90s, Jill was in the living rooms of the British public every night, presenting the news, travel shows, and most famously, Crimewatch – in which she publicly campaigned to bring real criminals to justice. Yet despite enormous publicity and one of the UK’s most extensive police investigations to date, the identity of her killer is still mired in controversy.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & S...
To celebrate and get everyone in the mood for our soon to be iconic Antipodean Tour, we are digging up some of the craziest cases from down under that we've ever covered! Patrons can access tour tickets on Monday the 13th (TODAY!) via their Patreon feed, and general release is Wednesday the 15th, links below!NZ: https://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=REDHAND24AUS: https://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=REDHAND24In this week’s episode the girls delve into the aftermath of John Borovnik's discovery, the police investigation that followed, and the subsequent trial that sa...
When a 13-year-old boy, out shopping for Christmas presents, disappeared from a bus stop in Australia’s Sunshine Coast, police were initially slow to suspect foul play. They had no idea what this investigation would become.The revelations that would come over the next decade would spark one of the country’s largest ever police operations. And in its dramatic climax, it ended in one of the most controversial investigative techniques we’ve ever covered – the very ethically murky “Mr Big”.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social...
If you thought Part 1 was bad – just you wait. Last week we talked about the origins of one of the world’s biggest cults. And this time, we look at how that influence and control bedded down – and seduced so many of the most famous people in the world.We’re talking about sex magic, incest, chid abuse, demonic possession, and Fleetwood Mac. It’s time to close the book on the Children of God.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Communes, propaganda and child abuse are not uncommon in the world of cults. But what made David Berg and his “Children of God” so unique was the effectiveness of their implementation.In this first of two episodes on one of the biggest and darkest cases we’ve ever covered, we talk about the rise of arguably the world's most “successful” cult, and what made the man who made the monster.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Pri...
Note: The video version of this podcast can be watched in full on our YouTube channel! Available from the 18th of April.Join RedHanded and Help I Sexted My Boss for an extra-special crossover, where true crime meets modern-day dilemmas, all over a glass of Gin & Dubonnet at the Sexted studio!First, Hannah and Suruthi regale William and Jordan about all things cults, before diving into the increasingly bonkers world of the Twin Flames Universe. And then, the tables are turned, as H&S help the boys solve their listeners’ unique problems – from how to leave a party, to whether or not to discus...
Social media is swarming with fresh takes on the Jennifer Pan story, after a new documentary became the third-most watched show on Netflix this weekend. So we wanted to re-release this classic RedHanded episode from summer 2022 – let us know your thoughts on our socials!--When three masked men entered the Pan family home, it seemed like an opportunistic home break-in. But on closer inspection, things just didn't add up. Why would the would-be robbers shoot Hann and Bich Pan in cold blood, but leave their 24-year-old daughter Jennifer relatively unharmed? Why didn’t they drive off in the exp...
Rob Parkes is not a paedophilic, drug-dealing, gang-leading tyrant. But that’s exactly what his pathologically controlling, abusive ex-wife tried to lead everyone to believe. It’s also why, she said, he had to die.In a very special episode of RedHanded, we hear directly from a man who found out there was a price on his head – and that over the years, six separate people had been approached to kill him. In interviews conducted in our studio, Rob remembers the years of coercive control; a heart-stopping arson attack at his family home in the dead of night; and the moment he learnt that his li...
Ten years ago, two young women entered the Panamanian cloud forest, accompanied by a dog named Blue. Blue was the only one to ever return. The events that transpired on Panama’s El Pianista trail that day have remained a chilling mystery for a decade now – and possibly will forever. Join us as we delve into the perplexing case of Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers, where speculation abounds and answers remain elusive. Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus ContentFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available o...
Found dead and with severe internal injuries in the swimming pool of the UK’s biggest TV star, Stuart Lubbock’s tragic demise became an instant tabloid sensation.Michael Barrymore’s handling of the tragedy left a lot to be desired – as did the conduct of the British press. But what really happened the night Lubbock died, and who was responsible?Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus ContentFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comYouTubeRedHandedSee Privacy Policy at https://art...
Found drifting on the open ocean on the brink of death, Terry Jo Duperrault’s survival was nothing short of a miracle.She’d been at sea for over 3 days, enduring harsh heat, bitter cold, and the tormenting bites of the parrot fish. Terry Jo was the survivor of an apparent yacht accident – yet when the boat’s captain was told the incredible news, he went to a motel, and took his own life.This is the gut-wrenching story of the sinking of The Bluebell, and the deaths of 4 members of the Duperrault familyExclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus ContentFollo...
Three weeks after going missing, Californian ‘supermom’ Sherri Papini was found running down a highway with a chain tied to her waist and the word "exodus" burned into her back.Her story defied belief. Kidnapped outside of her home, by a pair of Latina women and driven hundreds of miles with nothing but mariachi music for company, it seemed almost too strange to be true.The police investigation that followed was one of the biggest in recent memory - yet it took over four years before the truth finally came out.And what detectives found, turned out to be even stranger than Sherri's bizarre s...
UPDATE: Since we released our episode on the Barnetts – who said their adopted 9-year-old daughter had turned out to be a murderous, adult woman – Natalia has finally broken her silence in a six(!)-part new interview series.And the revelations are damning…Relisten to the episode to brush up first, or skip to 1:20:00 for Hannah and Suruthi’s take on the latest shocking updates! -In 2009, the Barnetts, a wealthy picture-perfect American family, adopted 6-year-old Natalia Grace from Ukraine. But within just 3 years, they’d abandoned her and fled to Canada.Why? According to the Barnetts, Natali...
Found raped and brutalised in the hills, just a stone’s throw from one of Hong Kong’s richest neighbourhoods, teenagers Kenneth McBride and Nicola Myers became the subjects of a national outrage.At a point of deep uncertainty in Hong Kong, the tragic murder of the two white expat teenagers became a symbol of everything that was bubbling under the surface. From accusations of racism and classism in the police, to involvement from the local triads, this would quickly become the biggest murder investigation Hong Kong had ever seenExclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - A...
Now that a new Netflix doc has got everyone talking about Danny Casolaro – we wanted to rerelease one of our favourite past episodes, to give you the full RedHanded rundown. Let us know your theories on our socials!Governments kill people who try to uncover their dirty dealings, that’s a fact. But is that what happened to Danny Casolaro? Danny claimed to be on the verge of connecting the dots between multiple governmental scandals and uncovering an international network of unbelievable crimes. Two days after meeting his final source, Danny was found dead. Could he have been onto something?S...
On the 8th March 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was making a routine red-eye flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, when it seemingly vanished in the clouds. The 175-tonne Boeing 777 – and all 239 people on board – have never been seen again. And 10 years on, there are still no solid answers as to what happened. In this episode, we’ll take you through the facts and theories behind what remains the greatest mystery in the history of aviation. Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus ContentFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our we...
In 2004, amid a horrific snowstorm in a remote mountain town, a talented yet troubled young woman crashed her car and vanished off the face of the Earth. The more you learn about the life of Maura Murray, and the things she got up to in the days before her mysterious disappearance, lead to more questions than answers. Was she trying to kill herself? Was she trying to disappear? Was she abducted, and were the police involved?This is one of the most infamous missing persons cases of modern times and has perplexed the world for over 20 years. Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHa...
On 19 February 2008, 9-year-old Shannon Matthews left school, waved goodbye to her best friend, and then vanished on the half-mile walk home.West Yorkshire police, and a determined group of locals from Shannon’s estate, spent weeks doing all they could to find the missing little girl.But when the truth behind Shannon’s disappearance was eventually uncovered, it was more shocking than anybody could have imagined.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus ContentFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on r...
Following the conviction of Charlie Adelson in November 2023, his mother Donna allegedly attempted to flee the US for Vietnam. Arrested on the runway, awaiting take off, the 73 year old now denies any involvement in the murder of her son-in-law, Dan Markel. In this concluding episode we take a look at the entire Adelson clan, with a focus on what the “grieving ex-wife” Wendi Adelson likely knew, and when…Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus Content Follow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhand...
When Wendi Adelson was left feeling trapped in Tallahassee, following her divorce from FSU professor Dan Markel, she told her big brother Charlie. What happened next is beyond anything anyone could have imagined.In a bizarre murder for hire plot involving hundreds of hours of FBI wiretapping, an owl loving hitman, coded calls about pot belly pigs and a tv repairman, this case has been bubbling away in Florida for the past decade.But finally in November 2023, some shocking truths were revealed as the Adelson family come undone…Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad...
Prospect medical student turned slacker spree-killer is hardly a normal turn of events. Yet Jean-Claude Romand managed to throw his entire life away by simply doing nothing. No school, no job, and no income, all propped up by a tower of ever increasing lies. A secret life spanning over thirty years, and ending in the deaths of his wife, their two children, both his parents, and their family dog, all to avoid telling the truth. This is what happens when you tell that one little lie, and never stop doubling down.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus Co...
The Friedmans were your average upper-middle-class family in ‘70s America, but everything changed when one day accusations of mass child sexual abuse landed on the father and one son.What followed was a chaotic investigation of slippery memories, attempted hypnosis, coercive police questioning, disturbing confessions, folk devils and real-life villains – nothing about this case is black-white.In this episode, we tell you the story of the Friedman family as we know it, not that we can say we know the truth.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus Content...
Deep in the middle of the UK’s shambolic COVID lockdown, 33 year old Sarah Everard went for a walk. That night she crossed paths with a man who would abduct, rape and kill her.Within days detectives had a man named Wayne Couzens on their radar, but with this breakthrough came a huge reckoning for investigators - because Couzens was a serving London Metropolitan police officer.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus Content Follow us on social media:InstagramTwitterVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Privacy Policy at h...
Thanks to COVID, we all now know, better than ever the impact that social isolation can have on our mental health. Depression, confused thinking, and emotional instability were symptoms many of us became all too familiar with; but imagine you had been in lockdown somewhere thousands of miles away from the nearest city, in perpetual darkness for 6-months of the year, and subjected to temperatures as low as -80 degrees celsius... Oh, and you're locked down with your co-workers...That shit might just make you want to kill somebody... right?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...
When countless lone travellers began to vanish without a trace along the Great Osage Trail in the early 1870s, the people of Labette County, Kansas, were gripped with fear.Soon enough, the county’s residents realised that all the victims had one thing in common: they’d all visited the Bender Inn, a small cabin run by a mysterious German family.But by then it was too late.The Benders were gone with the wind – and as for who they were and where they went, well, that remained a mystery for over 140 years… until now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice a...