Beginning in 1972, a series of suspicious deaths in rural Alabama left a community fearful, divided, and searching for answers. At the center of it all was a man known simply as “The Reverend,” whose life seemed marked by tragedy, rumor, and lingering suspicion.

Whispers of voodoo, insurance payouts, and unanswered questions spread quietly through the region — eventually capturing the attention of one of America’s most celebrated authors, Harper Lee.

What followed would become one of the South’s most unsettling true crime stories… a haunting case that blurred the lines between faith, folklore, justice, and revenge.

Sources

Primary Book Sources

•Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee — Casey Cep

•Biographical research regarding Harper Lee and her work

Historical Records & Research Materials

•newspapers.com

•Court records and legal reporting related to the proceedings

•Findagrave.com

Podcast Credits

Hosted by Darlene Hildreth & Melody Gwyn

Narration by Curtis Hildreth

Music by Isaiah Hildreth

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In this episode of Hard Times & True Crimes, we take a deep dive into a local Randolph County case that captured the community's attention - the trial of Heather Auman, accused in the death of her husband, MJ, a local firefighter.

After attending the trial in person, we walk you through the case from beginning to end - starting with the events leading up to that day at the lake, the 911 call, and the questions that quickly followed.

Heather claimed that MJ died by suicide. But as investigators began to examine the scene, and as testimony unfolded in court, a different narrative began to emerge.

This episode is based on testimony, evidence, and firsthand observations from inside the courtroom.

This case hits close to home for many in Randolph County, and throughout this episode, we aim to tell MJ's story with care, clarity, and respect.

If you followed the daily trial updates on TikTok, this is the full story - everything you didn't see in those short recaps.

Follow us for more true crime stories. Join our Facebook group for discussion and updates. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Narrator: Tim Gwyn

Intro & Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth

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In March of 1895, a young Irish woman named Bridget Cleary was brutally murdered by her husband and several relatives in the small village of Ballyvadlea in County Tipperary. For several days, Bridget was subjected to interrogations, forced herbal mixtures, and violent rituals meant to “drive out” the fairy believed to be inhabiting her body. On the night of March 15, 1895, she was burned to death in the family home.

Books

• The Burning of Bridget Cleary – Angela Bourke
• Irish Superstitions – Lady Wilde
• Meeting the Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland – Eddie Lenihan & Carolyn Eve Green

Historical Newspaper Archives

• Irish Times historical archives (1895 coverage of the trial)
• Freeman’s Journal trial reporting
• The New York Times international coverage of the case
• British Newspaper Archive
• newspapers.com

Online Historical Resources

• Smithsonian Magazine – Article on the Bridget Cleary case
• Irish Central – Historical features on the Cleary murder
• History Ireland – Research articles on Irish folklore and the case
• National Folklore Collection – Documentation of Irish fairy and changeling traditions
• https://philcleary.com.au/bridgetcleary/
• https://grokipedia.com/page/Death_of_Michael_Leahy
• https://www.digitalmedievalist.com/people/bridget-cleary-sex-death-fairies-and-other/
• https://brehonacademy.org/changelings-fairies-and-witchcraft-the-full-unsparing-account-of-bridget-clearys-murder-in-march-1895/
• wikipedia.com

Music:

“The Parting Glass – Royalty Free Vocal Version” by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords)

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.

“Long Road Ahead B” by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

Source: Incompetech.com

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In Part 2 of our Bitter Blood series, we continue the shocking true story made famous by North Carolina author Jerry Bledsoe in his bestselling book Bitter Blood.

What began as a volatile marriage spiraled into paranoia, obsession, and a custody battle that would end in one of the most devastating family murder-suicides in North Carolina history.

We re-released this series in memory of Jerry Bledsoe, who passed away in December 2025. His reporting preserved this case with depth, compassion, and journalistic integrity — and without his work, many details would have been lost to time.

🎙️ Episode Credits

Researched and Written by: Darlene Hildreth & Melody Gwyn

• Male Narration: Curtis Hildreth
• Original Music: Isaiah Hildreth

📚 Sources

• Jerry Bledsoe, Bitter Blood
• Contemporary newspaper archives via Newspapers.com
• Memorial records via Find a Grave
• Court records and historical reporting from North Carolina regional outlets

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Jerry Bledsoe, North Carolina’s #1 New York Times bestselling true crime author, passed away on December 31, 2025, in Asheboro, NC. In honor of his life and legacy, we are re-releasing our two-part episode on Bitter Blood — the book that brought national attention to one of the most disturbing murder cases in North Carolina history.

Sources

We researched and built this episode using:

• Bledsoe, Jerry. Bitter Blood (book)
• Newspapers.com (archived newspaper reporting, obituaries, and contemporary coverage)
• FindAGrave.com (burial records and memorial details)

Credits

Hosted by: Darlene Hildreth & Melody Gwyn

Male Narration: Curtis Hildreth

Original Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Send us Fan Mail

To purchase your merch - email us at hardtimesandtruecrimes@gmail.com with what you want, size, and a shipping address. We can accept Venmo or CashApp

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In this special Christmas episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we examine one of the most disturbing crimes in American history: The kidnapping and murder of Marion Parker in Los Angeles in 1927.

In December 1927, Los Angeles was rocked by the kidnapping and murder of Marion Parker, a crime so horrific it dominated national headlines and left a permanent mark on American true crime history.

This episode explores the details of the crime, the historical context of 1920s Los Angeles, and why the Marion Parker murder continues to haunt true crime history nearly a century later - especially during a season associated with family, innocence, and hope.

Listener discretion is advised.

Sources:

Book: Taylor, T. (2017). I Want To Come Home Tonight: The Haunting Story of Marion Parker. Whitechapel Productions. Narrated on Audible by Charles Huddleston

Where you can purchase the book: https://www.amazon.com/Want-Come-Home-Tonight-Haunting/dp/1892523833

Music credit: Music used in this episode appears courtesy of the audiobook narrator of I Want to Come Home Tonight: The Haunting Story of Marion Parker by Troy Talor and is used with permission.

www.newspapers.com

Narrator of episode: Curtis Hildreth

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Ronald Gene Simmons lived quietly in Arkansas throughout the 1980s, keeping mostly to himself and his large family. Outwardly, he appeared to be living a simple life in the country—but behind closed doors was a world shaped by control, fear, and long-term abuse.

In December of 1987, during the week of Christmas, the darkness inside the Simmons home finally erupted. What unfolded became the largest family mass murder in American history. In this episode, we walk through the days leading up to the killings, the psychological unraveling that no one around him fully saw, and the series of violent attacks that shocked the entire state of Arkansas.

🎧 Credits

Hosts: Darlene Hildreth & Melody Gwyn

Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth

Original Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Produced by: Hard Times and True Crimes Podcast

Find us on Facebook & Instagram: @HardTimesAndTrueCrimes

Sources for This Episode Include:

•Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Archives

•United Press International (UPI) Reports

•Associated Press Coverage, 1987–1990

•State of Arkansas v. Ronald Gene Simmons Court Documents

•Encyclopedia of Arkansas – “Ronald Gene Simmons”

•Time Magazine Archive: “Christmas Killings in Arkansas”

•Academic Analyses on Family Annihilators & Spree Killers

•Local Arkansas retrospective reports and interviews

• newspapers.com
• crime library.org
• findagrave.com

Send us Fan Mail

To purchase your merch - email us at hardtimesandtruecrimes@gmail.com with what you want, size, and a shipping address. We can accept Venmo or CashApp

Support the show

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In 2023, Erin Patterson sat down to lunch with her in-laws. A fatal family lunch in rural Australia. A handful of mushrooms. Three deaths. One survivor. And a woman at the center of a case that grabbed the world's attention almost overnight.

In this episode, we break down the 2023 Erin Patterson Australia mushroom poisoning case step-by-step - the timeline, the medical findings, the early interviews, the evidence released so far, and why investigators believe this incident is anything but ordinary.

From the quiet town of Leongatha to global headlines, this is the full story of the case that left a community stunned and the world asking the same question: what really happened during that deadly meal?

Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Sources:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-02/police-charge-erin-patterson-mushroom-poisoning-deaths/103056694

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leongatha_mushroom_murders

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-lies-that-unravelled-how-erin-patterson-deceived-police-in-her-first-interview-20250707-p5md8g.htmlhttps://www.google.com/search?q=erin+patterson+trial+script&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS1055US1057&oq=erin+patterson+trial+script&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMgoIAxAAGIAEGKIEMgoIBBAAGIAEGKIEMgoIBRAAGIAEGKIE0gEIMzc4NmowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:47b85422,vid:lf5QfJ8Kd_I,st:0

https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/erin-patterson-trial-live-updates-more-witnesses-appear-before-jury-in-trial-of-mushroom-cook-20250507-p5lx8f.html

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-08/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-air-traffic-controller/105464254

https://www.9news.com.au/national/mushroom-deaths-victoria-heather-wilkinson-public-memorial-service/2408018a-4ee1-44a4-877f-1a2cd7ede6af

https://todayspaper.theaustralian.com.au/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=4361e090-b704-47f1-9816-4557e2589d84&share=true

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