Episodes

  • Riders in the Hollow: The Hex Hollow Murder and the Wild Hunt

    Riders in the Hollow: The Hex Hollow Murder and the Wild Hunt
    Dec 24 2025
    In this solo episode, I step into the quiet hills of Pennsylvania’s Hex Hollow, where folklore and fear collided with devastating reality. The 1928 murder of Nelson Rehmeyer is often remembered as a “witchcraft killing,” but that label flattens a far more complicated story. Poverty, superstition, desperation, and community pressure all braided together, with tragic consequences.Alongside the case, we trace the ancient legend of the Wild Hunt. A ghostly procession said to ride the winter skies, carrying omens, warnings, and echoes of communal guilt. Not as a gimmick, but as a mirror. Folklore doesn’t cause violence, but it often shows us where fear already lives.This episode is about belief systems, moral responsibility, and what happens when people mistake myth for permission. It’s also a reminder that while legends fade into the mist, the harm done to real people never does.Listener discretion advised. This episode discusses murder, coercion, and domestic violence.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline📞 Call or text 988🌐 https://988lifeline.orgAvailable 24/7 for emotional distress, suicidal thoughts, or crisis support.Crisis Text Line📞 Text HOME to 741741🌐 https://www.crisistextline.orgFree, confidential texting support anytime.National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline📞 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)🌐 https://www.nami.org/helpInformation, referrals, and support for individuals and families.National Domestic Violence Hotline📞 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)📞 TTY: 1-800-787-3224🌐 https://www.thehotline.org24/7 confidential support, safety planning, and local resources.Love Is Respect (Teen and Young Adult Focused)📞 1-866-331-9474📞 Text LOVEIS to 22522🌐 https://www.loveisrespect.orgSupport for unhealthy or abusive relationships.Mental Health Support Domestic Violence & Abuse Support https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rehmeyer%27s_Hollow https://www.wgal.com/article/york-county-history-of-the-hex-house/62778197 https://www.ydr.com/story/news/history/blogs/york-town-square/2017/10/14/murder-and-witchcraft-incredible-story-york-countys-hex-murder/764018001/ https://unchartedlancaster.com/witchcraft-and-murder-in-hex-hollow/ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109023095/nelson_dietrich-rehmeyer https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3145016/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Hunt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C5%B5n_Annwn https://starofnature.org/wild-hunt-mythology/ https://fellowshipandfairydust.com/2019/07/01/the-wild-hunt/ https://www.nuggetnews.com/story/2020/10/20/news/the-wild-hunt/31298.htm
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    9 mins
  • The Snow Witch and the Beauty Queen

    The Snow Witch and the Beauty Queen
    Dec 17 2025

    In this episode, we uncork a glass and wander straight into the winter-dark. First, we follow the long, creaking footsteps of Frau Perchta, a midwinter enforcer with a taste for justice and a reputation for… creative disembowelment. She prowls Alpine nights like a stern auntie from the underworld, checking lists the way Santa wishes he could.

    Then we shift the spotlight to Boulder, Colorado, where the murder of JonBenét Ramsey still hangs over true crime history like a strand of tinsel that refuses to fall. We revisit the timeline, the conflicting theories, and the uneasy quiet that settles over a case still wrapped in unanswered questions.

    Two stories, one chilling thread: what happens when innocence meets the darker corners of winter lore and human nature. Let’s step into the frost and see what stares back. ❄️🕯️


    Crisis & Support Resources:

    • U.S. Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 | https://988lifeline.org

    • Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741 | https://www.crisistextline.org

    • SAMHSA Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) | https://www.samhsa.gov

    • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 | https://www.thehotline.org

    • RAINN Sexual Assault Helpline: 1-800-656-4673 | https://www.rainn.org

    • Trans Lifeline (U.S./Canada): 1-877-565-8860 | https://www.translifeline.org

    • Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 (press 1) | https://www.veteranscrisisline.net

    • International Hotline Directory: https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/


    • https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/frau-perchta

    • https://www.britannica.com/topic/Perchta

    • https://www.thecollector.com/frau-perchta-germanic-folklore/

    • https://mythology.net/germanic/germanic-spirits/frau-perchta/

    • https://www.alpinefolklore.org/perchta-traditions

    • https://bouldercolorado.gov/jonbenet-ramsey-homicide City of Boulder
      https://www.jonbenetramsey.com/evidence/ jonbenetramsey.com

    • https://www.jonbenetramsey.com/casefiles/ jonbenetramsey.com

      https://www.biography.com/crime/jonbenet-ramsey-murder-investigation-timeline Biography


    • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jonbenet-ramsey-case-colorado-ransom-note-evidence-48-hours/ CBS News

    • https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/jonbenet-ramsey-murder-further-investigation-dna-technology-boulder-colorado/ CBS News

      • https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/cold-cases/jonbenet-ramsey/ Crime Museum

      https://www.thesmokinggun.com/sites/default/files/assets/johnkarr.pdf thesmokinggun.com
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Death at Big Moose Lake and the Christmas Werewolf

    Death at Big Moose Lake and the Christmas Werewolf
    Dec 10 2025
    This week on Champagne and Murder, Please, we’re heading into the icy shadows of the Adirondacks—where a summer romance took a deadly turn. Grace Mae Brown, a young factory worker with dreams bigger than her circumstances, met a tragic end on Big Moose Lake, and the truth behind her death became one of the most sensational trials of the early 1900s. We’ll unravel the heartbreak, the lies, the evidence, and the haunting legacy Grace left behind.Then, because the holiday season apparently wasn’t spooky enough, we’re unwrapping the chilling legend of the Christmas Werewolf—a winter creature that supposedly prowls through villages when the nights are longest, looking for more than milk and cookies. Is it folklore? A morality tale? Or a genuine monster stalking the snow?Grab your champagne, bundle up, and join us for a wintry double feature of true crime and folklore that proves the holidays aren’t always merry and bright.• National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988 • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) • National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) • Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Grace_Brown https://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/gillette-chester.htm https://www.adirondack.net/history/grace-brown https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/classics/chester_gillette https://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/burke-library-to-receive-diary-of-adirondacks-murderer-chester-gillette https://unsolved.com/gallery/ghost-of-grace-brown https://nysba.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/BarJournJulyAug06.pdfOlaus Magnus — Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus https://archive.org/details/Historiaedegent00OlauOxford University Press blog — “Witches, werewolves, and Christmas”: https://blog.oup.com/2016/10/witches-werewolves-christmas/Atlas Obscura — “The Long, Hidden History of the Viking Obsession With...wolf warriors”: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/hidden-history-viking-wolf-warrior-werewolfNordic Visitor — “The 13 Yule Lads of Iceland” https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/the-13-yule-lads-of-iceland/University of Manitoba (news) — “Werewolves at Christmas” https://news.umanitoba.ca/werewolves-at-christmas/Doris V. Sutherland — “Werewolf Wednesday: Festive Lycanthropy” https://dorisvsutherland.com/2024/12/25/werewolf-wednesday-festive-lycanthropy/Project Gutenberg / Pitt / Dash folklore page — Werewolf legends and Germanic lore https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/werewolf.htmlMatador Network — “The 7 Creepiest Christmas Characters From European Folklore” https://matadornetwork.com/read/creepiest-christmas-characters-european-folklore/Writing Werewolf / blog posts and other compiled folklore pieces on Christmas werewolves (various regional accounts, supplemental reading): https://writingwerewolf.wordpress.com/tag/christmas-folklore/
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    34 mins
  • Across the Ice: The Legend of Eliza Harris

    Across the Ice: The Legend of Eliza Harris
    Dec 3 2025

    This week on Champagne and Murder, Please, we follow the chilling and courageous escape of Eliza Harris — the enslaved woman whose desperate flight across the frozen Ohio River became one of the most unforgettable moments in American storytelling. We explore the real history behind her legendary escape, the cultural shockwaves it caused, and how her story helped shape the nation’s conscience. Grab a glass, settle in, and prepare for a night on the ice.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom%27s_Cabin
    https://www.britannica.com/topic/Uncle-Toms-Cabin
    https://www.ohiohistory.org/stowe-and-eliza-what’s-the-real-story/
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Railroad
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery_in_Kentucky
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Beecher_Stowe
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    17 mins
  • Frozen Shadows: A Child Unknown & a Creature Unforgiving

    Frozen Shadows: A Child Unknown & a Creature Unforgiving
    Nov 26 2025

    In this episode, we walk the line between tragic reality and bone-deep folklore. The Boy in the Box remains one of the most haunting cases in American criminal history—a child lost, nameless, and silent for decades. And from the winter-stricken North comes the legend of the Wendigo, a spirit of famine, greed, and insatiable hunger. Light a candle, pour your drink, and settle into the dark with us.


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Joseph_Augustus_Zarelli https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/joseph-augustus-zarelli-the-boy-in-the-box-identification-police/ https://www.people.com/boy-in-the-box-case-philadelphia-joseph-zarelli-8766320 https://apnews.com/article/f95f42e9d0ecae075d7eaa6f976135e6 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/08/philadelphia-police-boy-in-the-box-cold-case


    • Wikipedia — “Wendigo” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo

    • Britannica — “Wendigo” https://www.britannica.com/topic/wendigo

    • PMC / PubMed Central — Scholarly review of Wendigo psychosis https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10685673/

    • Brian Dillon — “Windigo” PDF (Algonquian literature) https://web.pdx.edu/~dillong/Windigo%20%28Dillon%29.pdf

    Facing History — “More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories” https://www.facinghistory.org/ideas-week/more-monsters-deeper-significance-wendigo-stories
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    36 mins
  • Ghosts, Guilt, and Getaways.

    Ghosts, Guilt, and Getaways.
    Nov 19 2025

    This week on Champagne and Murder, Please, we’re hopping from one eerie mystery to another. First, we drift through the fog toward Poveglia—Italy’s infamous “island of ghosts,” steeped in plague pits, abandoned hospitals, and more whispered hauntings than a gothic novel. Then we follow the trail of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, the French aristocrat-turned-fugitive whose disappearance after his family’s murder has baffled investigators for over a decade. Two places, two mysteries, and zero answers…but plenty to sip on.

    Grab your champagne, babes, it's time to dive in.


    Wikipedia – Poveglia
    Walks of Italy – “Poveglia Island: All About Venice’s Haunted Island”
    Visit Venezia – “Poveglia: The Mysterious Ghost Island That Wants to Be Reborn”
    Condé Nast Traveler – “Haunted Italian Island Poveglia Sold”
    Amusing Planet – “The Plague Island of Poveglia”
    Visit Lido – “Poveglia”


    • Wikipedia-

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dupont_de_Ligonn%C3%A8s_murders_and_disappearance
      The Guardian — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/22/nantes-family-murder
      Unsolved Mysteries — https://unsolved.com/gallery/house-of-terror/
      The Connexion — https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/man-suspected-of-killing-family-reported-to-be-at-french-convent/652210
      Le Monde — https://www.lemonde.fr/livres/article/2025/05/19/l-enigme-publique-no-1-de-daniel-zagury-xavier-dupont-de-ligonnes-en-tueur-mystique_6607191_3260.html
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    33 mins
  • Bad Vibes Only: The Crying Boy & The Tromp Family Meltdown

    Bad Vibes Only: The Crying Boy & The Tromp Family Meltdown
    Nov 12 2025

    This week, we’re talking about one painting that refuses to burn and one family that decided reality was optional. From The Crying Boy curse that terrified Britain to the Tromp family’s “we’re going off-grid, kids” road trip, we’re unpacking the chaos, the confusion, and the downright weird energy connecting these two infamous tales. Seatbelts on — emotionally and otherwise.

    • The Sun (1985) — original tabloid coverage that triggered the panic

    • Punt PI, BBC Radio 4, Series 3 (2010) — “The Crying Boy” episode

    • Massimo Polidoro, “Curse That Painting!”, Skeptical Inquirer (Nov/Dec 2012) https://skepticalinquirer.org/2012/11/curse-that-painting/

    • Atlas Obscura, “A Painting of a Crying Boy Was Blamed for a Series of Fires in the ’80s.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/crying-boy-painting-fires

    • Wikipedia — The Crying Boy overview https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crying_Boy

    • ABC News: “Mark Tromp apologises for hurt, concern caused by bizarre family road trip”. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-06/mark-tromp-apologises-for-puzzling-family-road-trip/7818562 ABC

    • SBS News: “Tromp father apologises over road trip”. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/tromp-father-apologises-over-road-trip/2gwj4tafd SBS Australia

    • SBS News: “Tromp family road trip still a mystery”. [https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/tromp-family-road-trip-still-a-mystery/cu9o25rc7 SBS Australia

    • The New Daily: “Ella Tromp charged with car theft as family’s ‘road trip’ saga mystery deepens”. https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2016/09/05/ella-tromp-stolen-car The New Daily

    • The New Daily: “Tromp daughter found hiding in the back of a ute”. https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2016/09/02/tromp-holiday The New Daily

    Pedestrian.TV: “Mark Tromp gives first statement after vanishing on bizarro family trip”. https://www.pedestrian.tv/news/mark-tromp-gives-first-statement-after-vanishing-on-bizarro-family-trip/ Pedestrian.tv
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    33 mins
  • Dial-A-Dead: The Witch of Endor & Mother Shipton Spill the Tea

    Dial-A-Dead: The Witch of Endor & Mother Shipton Spill the Tea
    Nov 5 2025

    We’re diving into the witchy OGs: the Witch of Endor (who once summoned a dead king like it was her side hustle) and Mother Shipton, the Yorkshire prophetess who had thoughts about the future. Miracles? Curses? Early influencer energy? Grab your brooms — we’re judging everyone.

    • Bible Odyssey – The Woman at Endor

    • 1 Samuel 28 – Bible Gateway

    • University of Hertfordshire – The Witch of Endor in History and Folklore

    • Jewish Encyclopedia – Endor, The Witch of

    • GotQuestions – Who Was the Witch of Endor?

    • Marg Mowczko – The Witch of Endor and King Saul

    • Wikipedia – Witch of Endor

    • My Jewish Learning – The Witch of Endor

    • Tandfonline – The Witch of Endor in Folklore Studie

    • Mother Shipton — Wikipedia. Wikipedia

    • Mother Shipton’s Cave — Wikipedia (petrifying well history & tourist site). Wikipedia

    • “Mother Shipton and Her Prophesies” — Historic UK (local legend & summary). Historic UK

    • The Prophesie of Mother Shipton in the raigne of King Henry the Eighth (Early printed edition, 1641 — EEBO entry, University of Michigan). Quod Lib.

    • The Park / Official Mother Shipton’s Cave site (history of the Petrifying Well & tourism). Mother Shipton's Cave

    • Atlas Obscura — Mother Shipton’s Cave and the Petrifying Well.

    • “Divining the Witch of York: Propaganda and Prophecy” / Public Domain Review (essay on myth formation and later interpolations). Wikipedia+1

    • Sacred-Texts / “Mother Shipton Investigated” — collected prophecies and later attributions. Internet Sacred Text Archive

    Various archival & reprint references to early editions and Victorian additions (Google Books / AbeBooks listings for collected early editions). Google Books+1
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    1 hr