Over two days in 1980, prisoners at a New Mexico penitentiary, angry at the conditions they experienced inside its walls, rose up against their jailers and wreaked havoc upon officers and inmates alike. It would be called the bloodiest prison riot in U.S. history.

Over thirty-six hours, thirty-three prisoners were killed, eight guards were brutally assaulted, and hundreds were injured. The prison would never completely recover from the unprecedented violence that took place.

In the years since, the Penitentiary of New Mexico, known as the Old Main Prison, has gained a reputation as one of the most haunted places in the state. After hearing the true story I’m about to tell you, you’ll understand why these traumatized spirits may still be lurking.

Sources:

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

https://www.koat.com/article/new-mexico-state-prison-riot-1908/42746860

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtxL6C_dNKw

Report of the Attorney General on the February 2 and 3, 1980 Riot at the Penitentiary of New Mexico - https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/72933NCJRS.pdf

New Mexico Corrections Department website - https://www.cd.nm.gov/divisions/corrections-industries/old-main/

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/devastating-penitentiary-riot-of-1980-changed-new-mexico-and-its-prisons/article_be64a016-31ae-11ea-a754-fb85e49fca77.html

Reports of hauntings at the prison -

https://www.codypolston.com/new-mexico-state-penitentiary-santa-fe-nm-more-witness-accounts-and-ghost-stories/

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Links:

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In this episode, I’ll share a story of an alleged demonic possession of a young boy in the 1940s. While you may be skeptical of such a claim, several sources officially documented the case, including first-person eyewitnesses, making it difficult to dismiss these claims as mere superstition.

You’ll also hear how this case inspired a best-selling novel and blockbuster movie that helped to usher in an era of “Satanic Panic,” a phenomenon that would lead to accusations and criminal charges leveled against innocent people, some of whom were falsely convicted.

Sources:

https://www.thescottsmithblog.com/2023/08/the-real-story-behind-exorcist-movie.html

https://allthatsinteresting.com/roland-doe-the-exorcist-true-story

https://play.max.com/video/watch/ec95d53c-2050-4361-afca-db7f96836670/94f26393-35be-4945-9fbf-b99b005674a0

https://www.slu.edu/universitas/archive/2014/exorcism.php

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/20/the-exorcist-boy-named-magazine

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Links:

Season 6: Episode 248: Final Curtain Call - Paul Bateson and The Exorcist - https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s6-ep248-final-curtain-call-paul-bateson-and-the-exorcist/

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com

Marine wife Erin Corwin was just 19 years old when she disappeared in California’s Joshua Tree National Park. Nearly two months later, her body was found in an abandoned mine in the unforgiving desert, and suspicions quickly fell on a fellow Marine. Here’s a preview of the new podcast, “48 Hours: NCIS”, which merges the award-winning journalism of one of the most celebrated true crime news programs with the world’s #1 TV franchise, to bring you the real-life cases that NCIS agents will never forget. Host CBS News correspondent Natalie Morales untangles this twisted story of infidelity and betrayal that led to Erin’s tragic end. Listen early and ad-free right now by subscribing to 48 Hours+ on Apple Podcasts.

In this first story, we’ll go back over one hundred years to learn about a Romeo and Juliet story that ended in cold-blooded murder. On the property where the killing took place now sits a stone building known by locals as “The Witch’s Castle.” Some say that the restless spirits of the murdered man, his widow, and the killer roam the area on nights when the moon is full.

This is the story of the murder of Mortimer Stump and the haunting of The Witch’s Castle.

Resources:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-witches-castle-portland-oregon

https://www.mckenzieriverreflectionsnewspaper.com/story/2013/24/2/history/mystery-surrounds-portland-s-first-public-execution/830.html

https://themorbidlibrary.com/2021/09/10/the-haunted-the-witchs-castle/

http://balchipedia.wikidot.com/danford

https://www.newspapers.com/image/900596109/?match=1&terms=mortimer%20stump

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1088419076/?match=1&terms=%22anna%20stump%22

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Links:

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast

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Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com

In this special Halloween episode, horror comes to a family in the middle of the night. But unlike ghostly tales, this was all too real and was the last thing they’d ever expected as they invited the monster into their home.

Resources:

https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Bay-Area-suspect-allegedly-bludgeoned-victims-3217121.php

https://www.therotundaonline.com/remembering-associate-professor-of-sociology-dr-debra-s-kelley/article_2fab25df-a3f5-527c-ba59-cf14588b4e00.html

Slain mom, teen had counseling over music - https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32992286

Links:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

In July 1993, Mia Zapata, a rising star in the genre of punk rock music, joined what is morbidly referred to as “The 27 Club” - artists and celebrities whose lives ended at the age of 27. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse all qualify. But like other members of this unfortunate club, Mia Zapata didn’t die as the result of a drug overdose or by her own hand. She was murdered on the streets of Seattle just before she reached success with her band, The Gits.

In this episode, I’ll detail the life, death, and lasting legacy of Mia Zapata.

Resources:

Mia Zapata and The Gits: A Story of Art, Rock, and Revolution, Steve Moriarty, (2024) https://amzn.to/3T2cjgv

https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a44362322/a-cross-between-janis-joplin-and-johnny-rotten-remembering-mia-zapata-of-the-gits/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/mia-zapata-murderer-dead-1170206/

https://web.archive.org/web/20130406042509/http://thegits.com/?page_id=410

https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/singer-s-killer-gets-37-years-1143741.php

“Mia: Mia Zapata left her Louisville roots for a shot at success with her band, The Gits. But death ended her dream, and her killer is still at large,” James Nold, Jr., The Courier-Journal, Oct. 9, 1993.

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Links:

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Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com

In 1975, a renowned drummer who played with some of the most prominent artists of the 1960s and ‘70s was found shot and killed after an apparent botched robbery.

But some suspected Al Jackson, Jr. had been set up for murder. Was his soon-to-be ex-wife involved in his slaying? Was a friend’s relationship with a wanted fugitive to blame? Or was he privy to sensitive music business information that made him a target?

Resources:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/25/al-jackson-jr-memphis-sunset-the-mysterious-death-of-stax-heartbeat

http://staxrecords.free.fr/aljacksonpage.htm

https://torontosun.com/news/world/hunter-murder-music-and-the-memphis-sound-of-stax-volt

http://vancouverdrummer.blogspot.com/2017/09/al-jackson.html

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Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com

What makes a serial killer? Mind of a Serial Killer takes you deep into the twisted minds of history’s most notorious serial killers. Every Monday, hosts Vanessa Richardson and Dr. Tristin Engels, a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, combines gripping true crime storytelling with expert psychological analysis to answer the question - what makes a serial killer? From Jeffrey Dahmer to Ted Bundy, explore not only their chilling crimes but the dark psychology behind them. Follow Mind of a Serial Killer wherever you get your podcasts!