Jeff tells the story of Ruth Ellis, an African-American LGBTQ+ rights activist and one of the oldest surviving openly lesbian women, living to the age of 101. Though she considered herself ordinary, her quiet courage, lifelong advocacy, and support of Detroit’s queer community made her extraordinary. From operating one of the few safe gathering spaces for LGBTQ+ people in the mid-20th century to inspiring generations of activists, Ruth’s legacy is one of resilience, dignity, and unapologetic authenticity.

Sam shares the story of Project MKUltra, an illegal human experimentation program designed and carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency during the Cold War. The program sought to develop techniques and drugs that could alter human behavior, including experiments involving LSD and other substances—often conducted without the knowledge or consent of participants. Decades later, declassified documents and testimony revealed the disturbing scope of the project and its profound ethical violations.

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Jeff’s Sources (Ruth Ellis):

• https://www.globalsociety.earth/post/a-century-of-courage-activism-and-legacy-ruth-c-ellis
• https://bentley.umich.edu/news-events/magazine/living-with-pride/
• https://pridesource.com/article/how-ruth-ellis-inspired-my-early-activism-helping-queer-at-risk-youth
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Ellis_(activist)

Sam’s Sources (MKUltra):

• MKULTRA: How the CIA Used the Cold War to Commit Horrors on US Citizens by Dawson M.
• https://safe.menlosecurity.com/doc/docview/viewer/docNBFC8F817A722e7b2e98174f84e8f35b0224aae7515b4ca0358577a181726d9320a24538f2a6f
• https://research.unc.edu/human-research-ethics/resources/ccm3_019064/
• https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/dnsa-intelligence/2025-10-30/top-secret-testimony-cias-mkultra-chief-50-years-later

Jeff shares the recent and harrowing story of a French woman/warrior named Gisèle Pelicot.

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Jeff's Sources

• Husband Who Let 72 Men Rape His Wife - The Case of Dominique Pelicot
• Gisele Pelicot Has Become a Feminist Hero
• Gisèle Pelicot’s Story by BBC News
• Rapes of Gisèle Pelicot - Wikipedia

Jeff tells the survival story of Sarah Brady, featured on I Survived (Season 2, Episode 10). Her story is one of resilience, instinct, and the will to live in the face of unthinkable circumstances.

Sam shares the story of Michael Peterson, who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, on December 9, 2001. The case, often referred to as “The Staircase,” became one of the most debated murder trials in modern true crime history.

In 2011, after eight years in prison, Peterson was granted a new trial and released when a judge ruled that a key prosecution witness had given misleading testimony. The legal twists and forensic controversies surrounding the case continue to fuel discussion to this day.

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Jeff’s Source: I Survived – Season 2, Episode 10

Sam’s Sources:

• https://attorneys.media/michael-peterson-staircase-legal-analysis/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Peterson_trial
• https://people.com/where-is-michael-peterson-now-the-staircase-11864013
• https://collider.com/the-staircase-what-happened-to-real-michael-peterson/
• https://attorneyatlawmagazine.com/stories/michael-peterson-what-happened-in-that-trial-could-not-happen-today
• https://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/tv-movies/warm-tv-blog/article313559828.html
• https://www.alcatrazeast.com/crime-library/famous-murders/michael-peterson/
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/monicamercuri/2025/12/09/where-is-michael-peterson-now-the-bizarre-true-story-behind-the-staircase/

We are back.

Jeff tells the story of the 2003 Antwerp Diamond Heist, one of the largest and most sophisticated diamond robberies in history. Often called the “Heist of the Century,” the crime targeted the Antwerp Diamond Center in Belgium and exposed shocking security vulnerabilities in what was believed to be one of the most secure vaults in the world.

Sam shares the story of the Mapleton Murder on the Brighton Line, a chilling railway murder investigated by British authorities. The case would become one of the most disturbing crimes in railway history.

Mind the gap.

Visit us on Linktree for the collection of links, Instagram, or email us at jeffandsamshow@gmail.com.

Jeff’s Sources:

• Heist of the Century – Netflix Documentary
• Selby, S. A., & Campbell, G. (2010). Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History. Union Square Press.
• https://www.beldiamond.com/blogs/news/why-is-antwerp-the-diamond-capital-of-the-world
• https://time.com/7308331/stolen-heist-of-the-century-netflix/
• https://www.wired.com/2009/03/ff-diamonds-2/
• https://luxurylondon.co.uk/culture/entertainment/netflix-stolen-heist-of-the-century-antwerp-2003-leonardo-notarbartolo/

Sam’s Sources:

• https://www.btp.police.uk/police-forces/british-transport-police/areas/about-us/about-us/our-history/crime-history/murder-of-issac-gold/
• Gordon, R. Michael. Murder Files from Scotland Yard and the Black Museum.
• https://www.cuckfieldconnections.org.uk/post/1881-the-physiognomy-of-a-murderer-there-s-no-art-to-find-the-mind-s-construction-in-the-face
• https://review.gale.com/2016/03/03/the-compartment-was-much-bespattered-with-blood-the-brighton-railway-murder/

This week’s episode is a replay featuring two unforgettable stories from the archives.

Jeff revisits the chilling case of Otto in the Attic from Episode 57 — a disturbing and tragic story that explores isolation, secrecy, and the darker corners of human behavior hidden in plain sight.

Sam replays her story from Episode 73 about Hedy Lamarr, the glamorous Hollywood star whose brilliance extended far beyond the silver screen. Behind the fame was a groundbreaking inventor whose work helped lay the foundation for modern wireless communication.

Two wildly different stories, one episode — fear and genius, darkness and brilliance.

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Sam shares the harrowing true story of Samantha Stites, a Michigan woman who endured more than a decade of obsessive stalking before being violently kidnapped and held in a soundproof bunker by her stalker in October 2022. The case, now featured in the docuseries Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror, reveals how stalking escalated despite legal protections, how Samantha survived by staying mentally sharp under terrifying conditions, and how her bravery and quick thinking helped bring her captor to justice after years of relentless terror.

Trigger Warning: Discussion of long-term stalking, abduction, torture, and non-consensual confinement.

Visit us on Linktree for the collection of links, Instagram, or email us at jeffandsamshow@gmail.com.

• Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror — docuseries (Hulu/Disney+) about Samantha Stites’ ordeal and survival.
• TV show “You” inspired true crime case highlighted in ABC News Studios’ docu-series ‘Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror’ — ABC News report on how her case unfolded.
• Michigan Woman Shares Story of Survival After Being Kidnapped — local Michigan news coverage of her escape and stalker’s conviction.
• Hulu’s Stalking Samantha: Where Is Christopher Thomas Now? — overview of the case, prosecution, sentence, and aftermath, including advocacy and systemic concerns.

This week Jeff shares the incredible true story of the Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Margaret “Molly” Brown is often remembered for surviving the sinking of the Titanic, but her legend goes far beyond that fateful night. As the ship went down, Brown helped others into lifeboats, took control when chaos erupted, and famously threatened to throw a man overboard when he tried to turn the lifeboat away from survivors.

But Molly Brown’s life didn’t begin or end with the Titanic. She was a fierce advocate for workers’ rights, women’s suffrage, education, and civil rights decades before those causes were widely accepted. A philanthropist, activist, and unapologetically bold woman, she used her wealth and influence to help others whenever she could.

This is the story of a survivor, a fighter, and a woman who refused to be forgotten.

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Sources:

• History Hit – Who Was the Unsinkable Molly Brown?
  https://www.historyhit.com/who-was-the-unsinkable-molly-brown/
• Wikipedia – Margaret Brown
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Brown
• Forbes – Decades Before Women Had the Right to Vote, Margaret “Molly” Brown Was a Fierce Bandit for Human Rights
  https://www.forbes.com/sites/jerylbrunner/2020/02/28/decades-before-women-had-the-right-to-vote-margaret-molly-brown-was-a-fierce-bandit-for-human-rights/
• Encyclopaedia Britannica – Titanic
  https://www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic

On this week’s show, Jeff shares the story of Nellie Bly, born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in 1864, a pioneering American journalist whose fearless investigative reporting helped define modern journalism.

Bly gained national attention in 1887 after faking mental illness to be committed to the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island in New York City. Her undercover reporting exposed brutal conditions and widespread abuse inside the asylum, leading to public outrage and significant reforms in mental health care.

In 1889, Nellie Bly became the first woman to travel around the world, completing the journey in just 72 days. Her courage, innovation, and determination shattered expectations and opened the door for generations of investigative journalists to follow.

Trigger Warning:
Discussion of mental illness, institutional abuse, and historical mistreatment of patients.

Visit us on Linktree for the collection of links, Instagram, or email us at jeffandsamshow@gmail.com

Sources:

• National Women’s History Museum – Nellie Bly Biography
  https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/nellie-bly-0
• Library of Congress – Nellie Bly and Blackwell’s Island
  https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/11/nellie-bly-blackwells-island/
• Soflete – Nellie Bly
  https://soflete.com/blogs/die-living/nellie-bly
• Encyclopaedia Britannica – Nellie Bly
  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Bly
• Ten Days in a Mad-House – University of Pennsylvania Digital Library
  https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html
• Google Search – How did Nellie Bly get committed?
  https://www.google.com/search?q=how+did+nellie+bly+get+committed