Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories cover art

Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

By: Darren Marlar | Weird Darkness | Full-Time Voice Actor
Listen for free

About this listen

 Award-winning podcast of true stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, true crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained -- seven days a week! Hosted by professional voice actor Darren Marlar, named one of the “Best Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal.© 2015-2025, Weird Darkness Social Sciences True Crime World
Episodes
  • THE SHADOW WOMAN MURDER CASE: Three Dead Children, One Surviving Child, One Horrifying Explanation #MurderNoir

    THE SHADOW WOMAN MURDER CASE: Three Dead Children, One Surviving Child, One Horrifying Explanation #MurderNoir
    Jul 31 2025
    Inspired By a True Crime Case: In 1932, the quiet town of Blackwood was shattered when unemployed miner Bernard Gorski brutally murdered three of his children, leaving behind a lone survivor and a trail of haunting questions,

    THE TRUE CRIME CASE THIS STORY IS BASED ON: In July 1932, the quiet coal-mining borough of Lykens, Pennsylvania, was shaken by a horrifying crime. Barney Godleski, a 31‑year‑old unemployed miner, brutally murdered three of his four children—Paul (8), Lillian (6), and Alberta (4)—in the basement of their East Main Street home. Only 10‑year‑old Helen survived, reportedly because she “kept house” for her father and he was “proud” of her. On the morning of July 14, Helen awoke to find her sister missing and bloodstains on her pillow. Following a trail of blood, she found her father with a self‑inflicted throat wound. At his instruction, she fetched local undertaker James Heldt, to whom Barney confessed his crime. Police arrived to find Barney calmly sitting at the kitchen table with the axe and butcher knife he used for the murders. The children’s bodies were discovered in the cellar, one nearly decapitated. Barney confessed fully, stating that after a quarrel at a tavern and brooding over his marital troubles—his wife Lucille had left days earlier to work in Mount Carmel—he decided to kill the children and then himself. He admitted sparing Helen intentionally. Lucille, who had a past history of drug addiction and was working under an alias in Mount Carmel, expressed bitter anger and claimed she had feared Barney would harm the children, though locals described Barney as a devoted father and model citizen. Awaiting trial in Dauphin County Jail, Barney attempted suicide multiple times. On July 22, 1932, just eight days after the murders, he succeeded by hanging himself with his shirt sleeves in his cell. He was buried alongside the children he killed. The tragedy spiraled into further hardship for the family: Lucille was arrested for disorderly conduct the following month, and within two years both of her parents died, as did her brother in a mining accident. The eventual fates of Lucille and Helen remain unknown, with records only hinting that Lucille may have moved to New York by 1934. This grim case left behind unanswered questions about Barney’s mental state, Lucille’s role in the family breakdown, and the lasting impact on the lone surviving child.
    ORIGINAL CASE SOURCES…
    https://paoddities.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-lykens-triple-axe-murder-of-1932.html
    https://www.lykensvalley.org/three-children-killed-in-axe-murder-in-lykens-1932/
    https://www.lykensvalley.org/lykens-funeral-for-ax-murder-victims-1932/
    Music provided by Alibi Music Library
    = = = = =
    "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
    = = = = =
    WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
    = = = = =
    Originally aired: July 31, 2025

    NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice.

    CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/noir-blackwoodhorror

    #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #HistoricalTrueCrime #1930sCrime #PennsylvaniaTrueCrime #LykensMurders #FamilyMurders #CoalRegionCrime #TrueCrimeCommunity #CrimeDocumentary #DarkHistory #UnsolvedHistory #TrueCrimeStories
    Show More Show Less
    15 mins
  • BREAKING STRAIN: When Your Co-Pilot Becomes Your Death Sentence

    BREAKING STRAIN: When Your Co-Pilot Becomes Your Death Sentence
    Jul 31 2025
    Two crew members aboard a spaceship en route to Venus are thrust into fatal danger after a meteor strike severely depletes their oxygen reserves; it becomes clear there isn’t enough to support both of them for the journey… one one will survive, the other will perish in the cold of space. Hear the tale from CBC Mystery Theater with “The Breaking Strain” by Arthur C. Clarke! | #RetroRadio EP0477

    Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate

    CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
    00:00:00.000 = Show Open
    00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Killer’s Helper” (September 07, 1976)
    00:45:31.449 = CBC Mystery Theater, “The Breaking Strain” (1968) ***WD
    01:13:07.073 = Chet Chetter’s Tales From the Morgue, “Interface To Terror” (1992) ***WD
    01:40:48.885 = The Clock, “Deadlier Than The Male” (September 25, 1947) ***WD
    02:07:45.163 = Creeps By Night, “Strange Burial of Alexander Johnson” (July 13, 1944)
    02:37:15.657 = The Crime Club, “Topaz Flower” (April 24, 1947)
    03:07:11.733 = CBC Deep Night, “The Intercom” (July 15, 2005)
    03:41:09.673 = The Devil and Mr. O, “House Is Haunted” (December 31, 1971) ***WD
    04:09:50.620 = Dimension X, “First Contact” (September 08, 1951)
    04:32:08.552 = The Strange Dr. Weird, “Secret Room” (February 13, 1945) ***WD
    04:43:58.444 = The Creaking Door, “Face To Face Music of the Spheres” (1964-1965) ***WD
    05:08:29.698 = The Eleventh Hour, “Sixth Sense Survivor” (1959-1971)
    05:33:04.990 = Escape, “A Tooth For Paul Revere” (July 04, 1948)
    06:02:30.977 = Murder By Experts, “The Big Money” (July 25, 1949)
    06:31:56.698 = Exploring Tomorrow, “Scionic Uranium Prospector” (July 09, 1958) ***WD
    06:51:03.491 = Dark Fantasy, “Letter From Yesterday” (May 01, 1942) ***WD
    07:15:10.541 = Diary of Fate, “Rollie Andrews” (August 03, 1948) ***WD
    07:42:07.593 = Fear on 4, “Invitation To The Vaults” (1988-1992)
    08:10:50.029 = 5 Minute Mysteries, “The Masquerade” (late 1940s)
    08:15:47.485 = Tales From The Tomb, “Do You Know Where The Children Are” (1960s)
    08:20:57.904 = Future Tense, “With Folded Hands” (May 14, 1974) ***WD
    08:49:20.216 = BBC Ghosts From The Past, “Mortmain” (April 22, 1992)
    09:33:24.032 = Show Close

    (ADU) = Air Date Unknown
    (LQ) = Low Quality
    ***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing.
    Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library

    ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.
    = = = = =
    "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
    = = = = =
    WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
    = = = = =#TrueCrime #Paranormal #ScienceFiction #OldTimeRadio #OTR #OTRHorror #ClassicRadioShows #HorrorRadioShows #VintageRadioDramas #SuspenseRadioClassics #1940sRadioHorror #OldRadioMysteryShows #CreepyOldRadioShows #TrueCrimeRadio #SupernaturalRadioPlays #GoldenAgeRadio #EerieRadioMysteries #MacabreOldTimeRadio #NostalgicThrillers #ClassicCrimePodcast #RetroHorrorPodcast #WeirdDarkness #WeirdDarknessPodcast #RetroRadio #ClassicRadio
    CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0477
    Show More Show Less
    9 hrs and 34 mins
  • TOO WILD FOR HEAVEN, TOO CLEVER FOR HELL: Ivan Turbinca Was Cursed With Eternal Life

    TOO WILD FOR HEAVEN, TOO CLEVER FOR HELL: Ivan Turbinca Was Cursed With Eternal Life
    Jul 31 2025
    When a retired Russian soldier receives a magic bag from God that can trap anything inside it, he uses it to outsmart devils, imprison Death itself, and ultimately discovers that eternal life is the cruelest punishment of all.Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateTake the WEIRD DARKNESS LISTENER SURVEY and help mold the future of the podcast: https://weirddarkness.com/surveyIN THIS EPISODE: You see it in movies, TV shows, literature… when you have a scene with early humans it’s just a matter of time before you’re exposed to a human sacrifice. But why? With all of the animals out there to choose from, the harvesting of fruits and vegetables they could’ve placed on an altar… why human sacrifice? (Why Human Sacrifice?) *** You’re in a battle, you’ve had several horses shot out from under you, and suddenly someone points out that you’ve lost your leg. How do you respond to that? Whatever your answer, you probably wouldn’t be as suave about it as Lord Uxbridge was. (The Strange Tale of Lord Uxbridge’s Leg) *** Cornering the market in heroin and cocaine trafficking, Vito Rizzuto's mafia family dominated Montreal until his death in December 2013. (Canada’s Mafia Godfather) *** A senior couple seemed to be enjoying their retirement. They were heading home from their apartment in Florida to their home in New York as they did every Spring. But somewhere between they vanished into the ether. What happened to Charles and Catherine Romer? (The Vanishing of Charles and Catherine Romer) *** And later, we’ll look at a few lawsuits that should never made it to a courtroom… but we’re glad they did, because they make for a great kicker story for the podcast! (Lawsuits That Never Should Have Made it To a Courtroom) *** But first… a retired Russian soldier receives a magic bag from God, which ends up wreaking havoc in both heaven and hell! It’s the legend of Ivan Turbinca. (Ivan Turbinca: The Man Who Belonged In Neither Heaven Nor Hell)ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Show Intro00:02:25.641 = Ivan Turbinca00:10:33.267 = The Strange Tale of Lord Uxbridge’s Leg00:18:58.743 = Why Human Sacrifice?00:25:31.125 = The Vanishing of Charles And Catherine Romer00:34:45.084 = Canada’s Mafia Godfather00:43:33.209 = Lawsuits That Never Should Have Made It To a Courtroom00:57:10.845 = Show CloseSOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…“Ivan Turbinca: The Man Who Belonged In Neither Heaven Nor Hell” by Valda Roric for Ancient Origins: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8n8xa7“Why Human Sacrifice?” by Joseph Watts for The Conversation: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p86favf“The Vanishing of Charles and Catherine Romer” by Crystaldawn for Lost And Found Blogs:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2prwn7np“The Strange Tale of Lord Uxbridge’s Leg” by Kaushik Patowary for Amusing Planet: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8fzt4m“Canada’s Mafia Godfather” by Austin Harvey for All That’s Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4mvk6ka4“Lawsuits That Never Should Have Made it To a Courtroom” by Paul Medina for ListVerse: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y6m5uwhn=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: October 09, ...
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.