logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2020
27m 38s

One of the Weirdest Crimes in Austin, Te...

CNN
About this episode

In the summer of 1989, someone had tried to kill a beloved resident of Austin, Texas, and the people were demanding justice. The victim was barely clinging to life, as countless well-wishers sent get-well cards and cans of chicken soup. Who was this icon of Austin? A 600-year-old tree named Treaty Oak. And as the lone city forester valiantly tried to save the mighty oak’s life, the police were searching for the answer to the question: “Who would want to murder a tree?”

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Sep 2020
The Neverending Game
The year is 1982. The first compact disc player is released. George R. R. Martin’s book A Game of Thrones is still 14 years from being published. And a teenager named Robert Wardhaugh starts a game of Dungeons & Dragons. Thirty-eight years later, Wardhaugh and his group of friend ... Show More
19m 19s
Sep 2020
Journey to Justice
When Jarrett Adams was 17 years old, he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to 28 years in prison. Fueled by his desire for justice, Adams set out to prove his innocence from within the prison law library, despite never having opened a legal textbook in his life. After enlisti ... Show More
23m 15s
Sep 2020
The Hidden History of Hollerin'
Back in the days before electricity, a peculiar tradition rose out of southeastern North Carolina. Over vast swaths of farmland, voices would ring out to say good morning, ask for help, or just to share a ditty. The old timers called this tradition “hollerin’.” Part singing and p ... Show More
21m 47s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2016
Perfect Specimen
The 500-year-old Treaty Oak in Austin, Texas was once called "the most perfect specimen of a North American tree." But in 1989, Austin's city forester John Giedraitis realized that the Treaty Oak didn't look so good, and began to wonder whether someone had intentionally tried to ... Show More
25m 43s
Jan 2021
EP. 1 TEXAS - The Austin Yogurt Shop Murders
Four teenage girls found murdered, a slew of suspects, and no convictions- the story of the Austin Yogurt Shop murders is not only one of mystery, but a tale of anger, blood, false confessions & fire. And at its core is a crime that has gone unsolved for almost 30 years and has h ... Show More
32 m
Oct 2017
Austin Sigg
On October 5th, 2012, 10 year old Jessica Ridgeway left her home to walk to school. She said goodbye to her mother, walked out of the door, but she never made it to school and she would not return home that day. The community would rally in support of Jessica and they, along with ... Show More
1h 11m
Aug 2022
Marked For Murder
Someone targets members of law enforcement in a peaceful Texas county. Numerous suspects emerge and murders continue as detectives race against time. Finally, a single bullet casing uncovers the bizarre reason the killer wanted revenge. To learn more about how HLN protects listen ... Show More
25m 49s
Nov 2019
Paul Dennis Reid - "The Fast Food Killer"
Paul Dennis Reid was dubbed "The Fast Food Killer' after he murdered seven people in 3 different Tennessee robberies in 1997. Reid's childhood was unstable to say the least. He had a very low IQ and suffered from a large number of head injuries both as a child and as an adult. Jo ... Show More
1h 25m
Sep 2022
Blanket Denial
A 24-year-old old criminology student who left a SoHo bar intoxicated is found raped, murdered handcuffed, gagged, and wrapped in a blanket alongside a desolate road in East New York, Brooklyn. Police investigate everyone at the bar to find the killer. To learn more about how HLN ... Show More
25m 46s
Jul 2022
Smoking Gun
A hearing impaired 77-year-old on a road trip is attacked by a thief and shot to death. Why? Because the man cannot hear his assailant’s demands. Random murders are among the hardest crimes to solve but investigators are determined to bring this killer or killers to justice. Can ... Show More
25m 48s
Apr 2023
The Houston, Texas Lovers' Lane Murders
On August 22nd, 1990, Cheryl Henry and Garland Atkinson set out for a night on the town. By the next morning, they had disappeared. A few hours later, police located both their abandoned car and their bodies, brutalized and discarded near the local lovers' lane. In today's episod ... Show More
49m 42s