Norwegian immigrant Belle Gunness was one of America's deadliest black widows. Suitors answering her personal ads seeking romance found themselves at the wrong end of Belle's meat cleaver. Join Greg and Vanessa as they investigate the motives behind Belle's prolific murders. Was early-life trauma to blame? Or did simple greed drive Belle to kill?
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Aug 31
The Young Hippies Who Hijacked a Plane
In 1972, two young hippies hijack a commercial airplane in a wild attempt to free a famous political activist from jail, setting off one of the strangest, most idealistic crimes of a radical era. Sources for this episode include: The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Gol ... Show More
38m 31s
Aug 24
The Greek Robin Hood Who Kidnapped Billionaires and Escaped Prison in a Helicopter
In the craggy peaks of Greece, a modern outlaw proves that you can rob a bank, kidnap a billionaire, and still be the most beloved man in the mountains. This is the story of Vassilis Paleokostas: the 'Robin Hood' who treats his hostages like guests and uses a helicopter as his pr ... Show More
40m 36s
Aug 17
Stanley Alpert, the Kidnapping Victim Who Outsmarted his Captors
Kidnapped on his 38th birthday by criminals who think every federal prosecutor is secretly wealthy, a calm-under-pressure lawyer survives a chaotic 25-hour ordeal—part hostage crisis, part absurd comedy—by befriending his captors. Sources for this episode include: The Birthday Pa ... Show More
30m 57s
Feb 2025
Belle Gunness: America's Most Prolific Female Serial Killer
Belle Gunness—“Hell’s Belle”—lured wealthy men to their doom with chilling precision. A tale of deception, greed, and murder, her dark legacy still haunts true crime history.
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1h 1m
Jul 2021
"The Murder Farm" Belle Gunness Pt. 1
Belle Gunness never wanted much from her life: a fresh start in the USA, a nice husband, and maybe some children. But after a chance fire burned down her family home, an idea sparked in her — one that would lead to countless murders at her chilling Indiana farm. Learn more about ... Show More
43m 26s
Oct 2020
SYMHC Classics: Belle Gunness
We're revisiting a 2011 episode today. In 1908, a fire leveled the Indiana home of Belle Gunness. Four bodies were found in the cellar, and it seemed possible that Gunnes might have escaped. When about a dozen more bodies were found, Gunness was revealed as a serial killer. Learn ... Show More
21m 2s
Sep 2011
The Belle Gunness Episode: Who was the Mistress of Murder Hill?
<p>In 1908, a fire leveled the Indiana home of Belle Gunness. Four bodies were found in the cellar, and it seemed possible that Gunnes might have escaped. When about a dozen more bodies were found, Gunness was revealed as a serial killer.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choi ... Show More
20m 55s
Jun 2020
Black Widows Series: Betty Lou Beets
This episode is part of our “Black Widows” series, where we detail how these female criminals lured their prey, and why they chose to kill. Tune every day this month for a new episode! Regular Female Criminals episodes will continue to run every Wednesday. Today, we’re discussing ... Show More
8m 41s
<p>We take a deep dive into Belle Gunness, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian-American" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Norwegian-American</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_killer" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">serial killer</a> w ... Show More
