On the morning of October 25, 1943, the body of twenty-two-year-old Lion Brewery heiress, Patricia Lonergan, was discovered in a locked room in the New York apartment she shared with her infant son. Patrica was nude and had been bludgeoned with a candelabra. Suspicion quickly fell on her estranged husband, Wayne Lonergan, who had fled the country to Canada, where he was serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force.Wayne Lonergan was apprehended a few days later and returned to New York, where he was charged with the murder and two days later confessed to killing Patricia in a jealous rage. Despite his confession, Lonergan’s case went to trial and quickly became one of the most sensational trials of the decade. While the murder itself was a terrible tragedy, the extensive press coverage and intense public interest was on Wayne’s sexual identity and the supposedly scandalous lives of the two high society figures at the center of the case.Wayne was ultimately found guilty of the murder and served more than two decades in prison, after which he was deported back to Canada, where he resided until his death. Few people ever doubted that Wayne had indeed killed his wife; however, to this day many have questioned whether his sexuality and the couple’s nontraditional marriage biased the jury against him and led to an unfair trial.Thank you to the incredible Dave White (of Bring Me the Axe and 99 Cent Rental Podcasts) for research!ReferencesAnderson-Minshall, Diane. 2021. Did this queer man kill his wife? March 24. Accessed June 18, 2024. https://www.advocate.com/crime/2021/3/24/did-queer-man-kill-his-wife#rebelltitem1.Buffalo News. 1943. "Boats grapple for vanished RCAF uniform." Buffalo News, October 28: 1.Dunne, Dominick. 2001. "The Talented Mr. Lonergan." Vanity Fair, July 01.Levine, Allan. 2020. Details Are Unprintable: Wayne Lonergan and the Sensational Cafe Society Murder. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press.New York Times. 1944. "35 years to life given to Lonergan." New York Times, April 18: 1.—. 1942. "Husband is held for questioning in heiress' murder." New York Times, October 26: 1.—. 1944. "Lawyers rebuked in Lonergan case." New York Times, February 17: 20.—. 1944. "Lonergan choked wife, Grumet says." New York Times, March 23: 21.—. 1944. "Lonergan confession read; tells of bluedgeoning wife." New York Times, March 28: 1.—. 1944. "Lonergan defense is ended abruptly." New York Times, March 30: 1.—. 1944. "Lonergan guilty in second degree of slaying wife." New York Times, April 1: 1.—. 1943. "RCAF cadet's wife slain in home here." New York Times, October 25: 1.—. 1944. "State asks death in Lonergan case." New York Times, March 31: 1.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Explore the chilling account of Charles Whitman, the Texas Tower Sniper, who went on a shooting rampage at the University of Texas in 1966, killing 15 people and wounding 31. Delve into his troubled past, military career, and personal struggles leading up to the tragic event. Reflect on the aftermath and the complexities of mental health and human behavior.

A wealthy young man killed by his friend in a shocking murder case in Tulsa during the Great Depression. The scandalous details of the 'Society Gang Killing' captivated the nation. The killer's trial, insanity plea, and eventual release after joining the military are discussed in depth.

Clementine Barnabet, a teenager accused of brutal axe murders in New Orleans, confessed to the crimes but doubts linger. The podcast discusses her questionable claims of belonging to a Voodoo sect and the sensationalism surrounding her case. Explore the mysterious circumstances and potential mental illness that may have influenced her story.

Listener Tales 87 dives into spooky roommate stories, including curses, ghostly whisperings, close calls, and ghouls in love. Listeners share haunting experiences in old farmhouses, encounters with ghosts, mysterious sounds, and chilling moments. Roommate horror stories feature human sacrifice, Halloween pranks, reckless adventures, close calls with danger, and bizarre roommate experiences from witchcraft to ghostly encounters.

Veronica Gedeon, a pulp magazine model, was found murdered in her apartment along with her mother and a boarder on Easter Sunday, 1937. The murders captivated New Yorkers during the Great Depression. The investigation led to a suspect named Bob Irwin, who confessed his obsession with beauty and rejection. The podcast explores mental illness in the 1930s, legal proceedings, and conflicting views on sanity.

Veronica Gedeon, a pulp magazine model, was found murdered alongside her family members on Easter Sunday in 1937. The case shocked investigators due to the lack of forced entry and missing items. The media sensationalized the story, focusing on Veronica's beauty rather than the tragedy. The grieving process took a troubling turn when a parent falsely accused their deceased child. Detectives explored suspects, including Joe Gideon, leading to his interrogation and the hint of a revelation in the next part of the story.

Explore the shocking kidnapping and murder of Marion Parker by William Hickman, who claimed a divine command led him to commit the crime. Delve into the intense media coverage and legal proceedings, highlighting the complexity of Hickman's behavior and defense strategies. Challenge societal misconceptions surrounding criminal motives and witness the chilling trial that captivated California's attention, ultimately leading to Hickman's execution.

The podcast delves into the tragic kidnapping and murder of Marion Parker in 1927, highlighting the devastating consequences of negligence. It explores the panic and fear experienced by her parents as they receive ransom demands, while detailing the intense manhunt for the killer. The hosts reflect on the heartbreaking story and the series of unfortunate choices that led to the victim's tragic fate.

On the afternoon of June 22, 1954, Agnes Ritchie was preparing ice cream for two customers in her shop when two teenage girls, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, burst through the front door, screaming for help and saying one of their mothers had been killed. Agnes and her husband followed the girls into the nearby wooded area, where they found the badly beaten and obviously dead body of Honorah Parker. The couple wasn’t able to get much out of either girl, only that the woman had slipped and hit her head, but their behavior was strange and something about the whole scene didn’t feel right.Just two days later, Parker and Hulme were charged with the murder of Pauline’s mother, Honorah Parker. According to the prosecution, the girls had developed an intense bond and had created romantic fantasy in the months leading up to the murder that bordered on obsessiveness. In 1954, the girls’ relationship became threatened when Hulme’s parents divorced and began talking of relocating. Fearing they would be separated and never see one another again, Parker and Hulme killed Honorah, believing that her death would put an end to any plans to relocate.The story of Honorah’s murder and the trial that followed quickly spread across New Zealand and Australia and eventually made its way around the globe. Among other things, the case challenged existing beliefs about young women and their capacity for violence, but just as important were the sensational and salacious mentions of insanity and homosexuality that were often more implied than explicitly stated.Thank you to David White, of the Bring Me the Axe Podcast, for research :)ReferencesBrisbane Telegraph. 1954. "Conspired to Kill." Brisbane Telegraph, August 23: 1.—. 1954. "Teenagers remanded, police blame girl's passion for horses." Brisbane Telegraph, June 24: 1.Chun, Louise. 1995. "Slaughter by the innocents: The case of the schoolgirl killers shocked New Zealand." The Guardian, January 30.Graham, Peter. 2011. So Brilliantly Clever: Parker, Hulme and the Murder that Shocked the World. Wellington, NZ: Awa Press.Neustatter, Angela. 2003. "‘I was guilty. I did my time’: Anne Perry, the novelist whose past caught up with her." The Guardian, November 20.Newcastle Sun. 1954. "Girls shrugged at charge of murder." Newcastle Sun, July 16: 1.The Age. 1954. "Girls smile at N.Z. sentence." The Age , August 30: 1.—. 1954. "Defence says N.Z. girls insane as mother killed." The Age, August 25: 9.—. 1954. "Description of quarrel." The Age, July 17: 3.—. 1954. "Doctor says both girls certifiable." The Age, August 27: 5.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.