Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown
**2025 Ambie Award Nominee: Best Indie Podcast Hosts** Kate and Kevin met way back when they worked together at a (likely haunted) theatre and the two became fast friends. Skip ahead a few years to present day, where they mostly sit around and talk about true crime. From horrific homicides to unsolved mysteries, spooky haunts to behind-the-scenes secrets, these two are here to bring you all the drama - and trauma - of Tinseltown. Settle in, Misfits.
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Episodes
6 days ago
6 days ago
A summer scare rooted in urban legend and real-life horror. From the hook-handed tale that haunted teenage lovers, to the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, to the film I Know What You Did Last Summer—and the chilling true story of author Lois Duncan’s murdered daughter. What begins as a cautionary campfire story spirals into a web of true crime, pop culture, and devastating personal loss. The truth behind the fiction is darker than you think.
Episode Sources:
“The Texarkana Moonlight Murders” by Micheal Whelan, September 30, 2018, Unresolved Podcast
“Legend of The Hookman” by Delphini Riddle, June 14, 2020, The Business Standard
“Hook Man Legend” last edited on July 14, 2014, Supernatural Wiki
“Urban Legend Fact or Fiction: The Hook Hand Killer” by Amy Davis, May 30, 2023, NerdBot
“Texas Cold Case: Texarkana Moonlight Murders” by Dusty Ellis, October 5, 2022, Concho Valley
“Texarkana Moonlight Murders” by Nancy Hendricks, Arkansas State University, June 16, 2023, Encyclopedia of Arkansas
“Texarkana Murder Mystery” by Prudence Mackintosh, December 2014, TexasMonthly
“The Hook” retold by S.E. Schlosser, excerpted from “Spooky Campfire Tales” by S.E. Schlosser
“Spooky Campfire Tales” by S.E. Schlosser
“Creepy Backstories and Versions of the Hook Man Legend” by Katherine Ripley, September 23, 2021, Ranker
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” on IMDb
“Kaitlyn Arquette” from Unsolved Mysteries
“‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Author Was ‘Horrified’ by the Movie’s ‘Sensationalized Violence’ After Her Teenage Daughter’s Murder” by William Earl, July 16, 2025, Variety
“APD Releases Details of 3rd Cold Case Murder Tied to Same Suspect” from the City of Albuquerque, October 15, 2021
“Chief Medina reacts to 45-year sentence of serial killer in three cold case homicides” from the City of Albuquerque, January 26, 2024
“The Texarkana Moonlight Murders: The Unsolved Case of the 1946 Phantom Killer” by Michael Newton, Published by McFarland Incorporated Publishers, May 21, 2013. Google Books.
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Monday Jul 14, 2025
Monday Jul 14, 2025
Have you heard of the 'Superman' curse? We're not entirely convinced one actually exists, although the number of lawsuits, accidents, deaths and faltering careers would suggest otherwise...
Episode Sources:
“Up, Up and Awa-a-y! The Rise of Superman, Inc.” by John Kobler, Saturday Evening Post, June 21, 1941
“Exhibit honors Superman's Cleveland roots: Leon Bibb Then and Now” by Leon Bibb and Susan Moses, WKYC, June 26, 2025
“Origin Story: The Creation of Superman” by Cassandra Burris, Ohio History Connection, Dec 01, 2017
“Creation of a Superhero” by Jerry Siegel, (unpublished) c. 1978
“Superman’s Copyright Saga” by Yuanxiao Xu, Authors Alliance, Apr 08, 2025
“Dean Cain Worries James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Is Just Too “Woke”” by James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, July 10, 2025
“Joanne Siegel, the Model for Lois Lane, Dies at 93” by Bruce Weber, The New York Times, Feb 15, 2011
“The Selling of Superman: Correspondence between Jack Liebowitz and Jerry Siegel” by Tom Brevoort, The Tom Brevoort Experience, June 03, 2023
Kirk Alyn obituary, by Ronald Bergan, The Guardian, Mar 23, 1999
“Superman George Reeves Died of a Single Gunshot Wound in 1959. Inside the Confusing Case — and the Controversial Theories Surrounding It” by Caroline Blair, People, June 17, 2025
Unsolved Mysteries: George Reeves
“From the Archives: George Reeves, Superman of TV, Kills Himself in His Home” Los Angeles Times, June 17, 1959
“A Life With a Before and an After; For Christopher Reeve, It Isn't as Simple as Superman or Victim” by Dinitia Smith, The New York Times, Apr 30, 1998
“A Timeline of the Nxivm Sex Cult Case” by Carla Correa, The New York Times, July 05, 2023
“After 'the most public freak-out in history,' Margot Kidder became one of Hollywood's most prominent mental health advocates” by Suzy Byrne, Yahoo, may 14, 2018
“Brandon Routh reveals career setbacks led to a crippling video game addiction” by Eric Francisco, Inverse, Mar 09, 2020
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Monday Jul 07, 2025
Monday Jul 07, 2025
Haing experienced extraordinary success in the entertainment industry after settling in the U.S., but did he make enemies along the way? Just as he pulled into his carport one evening, before he even had a chance to get out of the car, he was shot in the chest and killed. However, the gunman sped away without taking the thousands of dollars in cash Haing had on him at the time. Three men were charged with his murder...based on no physical evidence whatsoever.
Episode Sources:
“A Cambodian Odyssey” by Haing Ngor with Roger Warner, 1987
“Khmer Rouge: Cambodia's years of brutality” BBC, Nov 16, 2018
Strangeland Season 3: The Killing Fields of L.A. hosted by Ben Adair and Mayly Tao, Audiochuck, Aug 16, 2024
“World Report 2024: Cambodia” Human Rights Watch
“Cambodia 1975-1979” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
“Khmer Rouge Ideology” Holocaust Memorial Day Trust
“Khmer Rouge” Britannica
TAK SUN TAN v. RUNNELS (2005)
“World News Briefs; Poltical Motive Alleged In Killing of Cambodian” The New York Times, AP, Feb 29, 1996, Sec. A, p. 12
“For Haing Ngor, Sorrow Marks a Return Home” by Elizabeth Lu, Los Angeles Times, Sep 12, 1989
“`KILLING FIELDS' OF L.A. CLAIM CAMBODIAN HERO” Deseret News, AP, Mar 03, 1996
“Unauthorized play about Oscar-winner Haing S. Ngor causes friction” by David Ng, Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2013
“The day Haing S. Ngor won the Oscar” by Roger Ebert, Dec 14, 2012
“Three Men Convicted of Killing Ngor” by Daniel Yi and Greg Krikorian, Los Angeles Times, Apr 17, 1998
“Revisiting Haing Ngor's murder: 'Killing Fields' theory won't die” by My-Thuan Tran, Los Angeles Times, Jan 21, 2010
“Cambodian Physician Who Won an Oscar for 'Killing Fields' Is Slain” by Kenneth B. Noble, The New York Times, Feb 27, 1996
“Great Niece Of Famous Doctor Returns To Cambodia As Part Of PCOM GA Mission Trip” by Chris Starrs, Gwinnett Daily Post, Sep 15, 2024
“Tragedy Behind the ‘Killing Fields’ Star Who Won a Supporting Actor Oscar” by Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, Feb 24, 2016
"Who Killed Haing Ngor?" Mary Patricia Nunan
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Monday Jun 30, 2025
Monday Jun 30, 2025
Haing Ngor's childhood in Cambodia was marked by political unrest leading up to the Cold War. As an adult, he survived the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime to build a new life in Los Angeles, CA. His career took a surprising turn when he became an award-winning actor, but his life was cut short when he was gunned down in 1996. Did fame play a part in his murder?
Episode Sources:
“A Cambodian Odyssey” by Haing Ngor with Roger Warner, 1987
“Khmer Rouge: Cambodia's years of brutality” BBC, Nov 16, 2018
Strangeland Season 3: The Killing Fields of L.A. hosted by Ben Adair and Mayly Tao, Audiochuck, Aug 16, 2024
“World Report 2024: Cambodia” Human Rights Watch
“Cambodia 1975-1979” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
“Khmer Rouge Ideology” Holocaust Memorial Day Trust
“Khmer Rouge” Britannica
TAK SUN TAN v. RUNNELS (2005)
“World News Briefs; Poltical Motive Alleged In Killing of Cambodian” The New York Times, AP, Feb 29, 1996, Sec. A, p. 12
“For Haing Ngor, Sorrow Marks a Return Home” by Elizabeth Lu, Los Angeles Times, Sep 12, 1989
“`KILLING FIELDS' OF L.A. CLAIM CAMBODIAN HERO” Deseret News, AP, Mar 03, 1996
“Unauthorized play about Oscar-winner Haing S. Ngor causes friction” by David Ng, Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2013
“The day Haing S. Ngor won the Oscar” by Roger Ebert, Dec 14, 2012
“Three Men Convicted of Killing Ngor” by Daniel Yi and Greg Krikorian, Los Angeles Times, Apr 17, 1998
“Revisiting Haing Ngor's murder: 'Killing Fields' theory won't die” by My-Thuan Tran, Los Angeles Times, Jan 21, 2010
“Cambodian Physician Who Won an Oscar for 'Killing Fields' Is Slain” by Kenneth B. Noble, The New York Times, Feb 27, 1996
“Great Niece Of Famous Doctor Returns To Cambodia As Part Of PCOM GA Mission Trip” by Chris Starrs, Gwinnett Daily Post, Sep 15, 2024
“Tragedy Behind the ‘Killing Fields’ Star Who Won a Supporting Actor Oscar” by Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, Feb 24, 2016
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Monday Jun 23, 2025
Monday Jun 23, 2025
A beloved actress, model, and trailblazing trans icon in the country of Georgia, Kesaria Abramidze used her voice to speak out against domestic violence and injustice—right up until the moment it took her life. Just one day after a sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ law passed in Parliament, Kesaria was found brutally murdered in her home. Her story isn’t just about one victim—it’s about a country at a crossroads, and the danger of state-sanctioned hate.
Episode Sources:
“Kesaria Abramidze” on January 16, 2021 from intermedia.ge
“Kesaria Abramidze will represent Georgia Georgia at Miss Trans World” from imedianews.ge on March 7, 2018
“Kesaria Abramidze: Most Georgian men don't know where to caress a woman” by Keti Modebadze, May 16, 2022, Tbiliselebi
“MIA confirms arrest of suspect in Kesaria Abramidze’s murder” from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on September 19, 2024
“The murder of Kesaria Abramidze - what were the circumstances surrounding it and what preceded it?” by Lela is a slut, from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on September 19, 2024
“‘He broke into my house several times’ - what the friend of the murdered Kesaria Abramidze says about the accused” from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on September 19, 2024
“Trans woman killed in Georgia day after anti-LGBT law passed” by Frances Mao, September 20, 2024, BBC News
“Georgian trans model murdered after parliament passes ‘anti-LGBTQ+’ law” by Pjotr Sauer, September 19, 2024, The Guardian
“Man Sentenced to Life for Brutal Murder of Transgender Model Kesaria Abramidze” from Civil Georgia on April 16, 2025
“Georgian Dream Pushes Amendments to Remove ‘Gender’ from the Legislation” from Civil Georgia on February 25, 2025
“Man gets life in prison in killing of transgender model in the South Caucasus nation of Georgia” from the Associated Press, April 16, 2025
“Prosecutor: Beka Jaiani called Kesaria Abramidze a ‘mistake of nature’” by Mariam Razmadze, March 14, 2025, Georgia Today
“Ex-boyfriend who stabbed transgender actress and influencer to death is jailed for life” by Sabrina Penty, April 16, 2025, Daily Mail
“One day after Georgia's anti-LGBTQIA+ crackdown, Trans model is killed in possible ‘premeditated murder’” by Jamie Wareham, September 21, 2024, QueerAF
“Life Sentence in Georgia for Murder of Trans Icon Kesaria” by Transvitae Staff, April 17, 2025, TransVitae
“Brooklyn Episcopal church hosts memorial service for murdered Georgian transgender woman” by Lynette Wilson, October 1, 2024, Episcopal News Service
“The Tragic Murder of Kesaria Abramidze: A Stark Reminder of Georgia’s Growing Transphobia” by Georgia Today, October 3, 2024, Georgia Today
“Georgia’s surprising LGBTQ+ scene” by James Jackson, January 24, 2023, BBC News
“Kesaria Abramidze” from Timenote
“I Plead Guilty to Killing a Person: Trial Begins in the Murder of Kesaria Abramidze” Reddit post from Sepcific-Draft-5038 on r/MtF
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Monday Jun 16, 2025
Monday Jun 16, 2025
At its peak, the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was one of the largest traveling shows in the country—until a tragic train wreck in 1918 brought it to a screeching halt. This story follows the rise of the American circus, the crash that claimed dozens of lives near Hammond, Indiana, and the haunting legacy of Showmen’s Rest, where many of the victims are buried. It’s a tale of spectacle, sorrow, and the circus community’s motto: the show must go on.
Episode Sources:
“The Great Circus Train Wreck of 1918: Tragedy on the Indiana Lakeshore” by Richard M. Lytle, Published by The History Press, 2010
“Hagenbeck Wallace Circus” from Circuses and Sideshows
“Ben Wallace” from Circuses and Sideshows
“William Cameron Coup” from Circuses and Sideshows
“The Hammond Train Wreck of 1918 Killed Scores of Circus Performers” by Lorraine Boissoneault, June 22, 2018, Smithsonian Magazine
“The 1918 Hagenbeck-Wallace Tragedy: Breakdown” by Korry Shepard, February 23, 2021, Medium
“The truths of the circus train crash of 1918 are more horrifying than myths” by Will Higgins, June 20, 2018, IndyStar
“The Deadliest Circus Train Wreck in History” by Paul Andrews, January 25, 2024, Lost In History
“The Haunting Legacy of Showmen’s Rest in Forest Park, IL” from Explore Oak Park and Beyond
“Welcome to the Showmen's League of America: Our History” from Showmen’s League of America website
“The First Zoo Part I: The Circus Myth” by Paul Sewick, January 14, 2012, Corktown History
“Why Does a Circus Have Three Rings?” from The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, February 2020
“Attractions” from The City of Peru, Indiana website
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Monday Jun 09, 2025
Monday Jun 09, 2025
When Frank Sinatra, Jr. checked into his motel room in Lake Tahoe, he never could have predicted the circumstances in which he'd be checking out. What ensued was a comedy of errors involving a snowstorm, a musical legend, and a hapless kidnapper with a heart of gold.
Episode Sources:
“The Grand Scheme: Snatching Sinatra” hosted by John Stamos
“The True Story of the 1963 Kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr.” by Lauren Kranc, Esquire, Jul 27, 2021
“Frank Sinatra, Jr., Kidnapping” FBI
“Kidnapping As Plan B” Hosted by Ira Glass, This American Life
“61 Years Ago Today, Frank Sinatra Jr. Was Kidnapped: Why His Dad Began Carrying Dimes in His Pockets” by Corin Cesaric, People, Dec 08, 2024
“Frank Sinatra Jr: 'I was living in his shadow’” by Nick Duerden, The Guardian, Aug 31, 2012
“Frank Sinatra Jr. abducted from Tahoe motel” Reno Gazette Journal, Dec 9, 1963
“A Kidnapper's Story: Can Crime Pay?” By Rene Sanchez, The Washington Post, Dec 21, 1999
“There’s Nothing to Be Sorry For” TIME, Dec 20, 1963
“MYSTERIOUS FINANCIER: Dean Torrence and the Kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr.” by Mark A. Moore, Jan Berry Official Site, Dec 30, 2017
“Regrets, Sinatra Jr. kidnapper has had a few” by Michael Corcoran, Feb 2001
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Monday Jun 02, 2025
Monday Jun 02, 2025
Garrett Warren was at the top of his game when he was gunned down in the doorway of his home - and in front of his mother, no less. But why would anyone want to murder a man described as a kind, generous friend and focused professional? This case has some wild twists and turns involving a pizza parlor, a picture taken at a party and...Home Alone's Joe Pesci???? And how did one misspelled word put the nail in the coffin, so to speak?
Episode Sources:
Dateline: The Plot Thickens, S21 E1
“When It Mattered: Garrett Warren” hosted by Chitra Ragavan
“Private eye drops suit against Pesci” by the Associated Press
Interview with Garrett Warren by Brad Curran
“Husband Tells Story of Hitman Attack” - transcript, Nancy Grace
“Did Joe Pesci’s Ex Hire a Hitman?” By Christine Pelisek
"Primed for Pain" by Chitra Ragavan
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