Tag Archives: movie

Gold Digger Killer

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Gold Digger Killer

Multimillionaire, Steven Beard fell for the younger, attractive waitress who worked at his country club.   Soon he and Celeste were married. When Steve calls 911 and is discovered in his bedroom shot in the stomach, suspicion falls on Celeste’s friend, Tracey.  Months later Tracey implicates Celeste.

We will be going over the movie made about this case and then the true story behind it.

The movie is Secrets of a Gold Digger Killer. It’s a 2021 Lifetime Movie, Starring Julie Bentz, Eli Gabay and Roan Curtis.  It can be found on Lifetime and is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

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Sources for this episode:

Man is fatally shot while sleeping, at the request of his wife – Horror History .net

Betrayed By Her Own Children – CBS News

Twins, Lesbian Lover Unravel Texas Murder – ABC News (go.com)

Celeste Beard – Wikipedia

Celeste Beard | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

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Trial By Fire

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Welcome Back to Cherry Avenue True Crime Podcast.  Just a quick reminder that new episodes come out on the 15th and the 30th of each month, with occasional bonus episodes thrown out there in between so please hit subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

I’ll be the first to admit that when I hear that a parent or parents escaped a burning house unharmed and all of the kids die, I’m a little suspicious.  And when you start watching this movie, that is how you feel. 

But there are questions….

And the more you learn, the more you question……

The movie and the case for this episode is:  Trial By Fire  (2018-2019) movie that I found available for streaming on  (Prime Video) and  (Hulu).  It stars Jack O’Connel, Laura Dern and Emily Meade.

The tragic and controversial story of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was sentenced to death in Texas for killing his three children even after scientific evidence and expert testimony bolstered his claims of innocence

We will cover the movie, the story of what really happened, and the controversy.

Website:  CherryAvenueTrueCrime.com

Email: host@cherryavenuetruecrime.com

Twitter@AvenueCrime

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New Yorker article:

Trial by Fire | The New Yorker

Sources for this episode:

Cameron Todd Willingham’s Ex-Wife Stacy Kuykendall Says Texas Shouldn’t Pardon Him [EXCLUSIVE] | HuffPost

Cameron Todd Willingham – Wikipedia

Cameron Todd Willingham: Wrongfully Convicted and Executed in Texas – Innocence Project

Murder of his three young children by Cameron Todd Willingham examined on Evil Lives Here (monstersandcritics.com)

5 Things To Know About The Cameron Todd Willingham Case | Crime History | Investigation Discovery

Stacy Kuykendall Now: Where is Cameron Todd Willingham’s Ex-Wife Today? Update (thecinemaholic.com)

Where Is Stacey Willingham From Trial By Fire In 2019? (refinery29.com)

Where Is Trial By Fire Playwright Elizabeth Gilbert Now (refinery29.com)

Disturbing Evidence That Texas Executed An Innocent Man, Cameron Todd Willingham (ranker.com)

A dad was executed for deaths of his 3 girls. Now a letter casts more doubt. – The Washington Post

Jury Clears the Prosecutor Who Sent Cameron Todd Willingham to Death Row | The Marshall Project

Willingham v. State :: 1995 :: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Decisions :: Texas Case Law :: Texas Law :: US Law :: Justia

Interviews – Elizabeth Gilbert | Death By Fire | FRONTLINE | PBS

Posthumous pardon denied for Case of Texas man Cameron Todd Willingham, executed for arson that killed his kids, puts spotlight on “pardons after death” – CBS News

10 Executed Prisoners That Were Later Found to Be Innocent (unbelievable-facts.com)

Trial by Fire | The New Yorker

Trial by Fire: True story of innocent dad executed for killing his three children – Mirror Online

Myths and Facts about the Willingham Case – Innocence Project

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The Last Hangman

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The Last Hangman

Today’s case and movie is The Last Hangman which is based on the life and career of Albert Pierrepoint, who was one of the head executioners in the UK between 1931 and 1956.  It is estimated he executed between 435 and 600 people, 200 of these were war criminals right after WWII.

We will cover the movie, the real story of Pierrepoint, and some of the infamous murderers that he executed.

cherryavenuetruecrime.com

email: host@cherryavenuetruecrime.com

Twitter: @AvenueCrime

Instagram.com/cherryavenuetruecrime

 

Sources for this episode:

Josef Kramer – Wikipedia

Josef Kramer | Nazi commander | Britannica

Pictures that changed the World – Dr Fritz Klein in a mass grave | Belfast Child (belfastchildis.com)

Beast of Belsen and his lover in Nuremberg exhibit | UK news | The Guardian

A Soho Stabbing | True Crime Library

Waddingham, Dorothea (1899–1936) | Encyclopedia.com

Albert Pierrepoint – Wikipedia

ExecutedToday.com » 1945: The Belsen war criminals

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9045279/British-hangman-sent-Beasts-Belsen-hell.html

17 October 1941 – Antonio Mancini | Execution of the day (wordpress.com)

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The Burning Bed

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The Burning Bed (Based on a True Story)

800-799-SAFE (7233)  Domestic Violence Support | The National Domestic Violence Hotline (thehotline.org)

Welcome Back to Cherry Avenue True Crime Podcast.  Just a quick reminder that new episodes come out on the 15th and 30th of each month, with mini-episodes and the occasional bonus episodes in-between, so be sure to hit subscribe so you don’t miss anything!

The movie for this episode is The Burning Bed (1984)  (Tubi TV) (IMDB free with ads) streaming services.  Stars:  Farrah Fawcett, Paul Le Mat and Richard Hauser.  We will go over the movie and then the case behind the movie.

This was the case that became central to the battered women’s movement. It turned the national attention to cases like Francine’s where women were brutalized by their husbands, and to help women like her through a system of life-saving shelters and laying the foundation for a modern awareness of domestic violence.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 or chat with a worker  on thehotline.org

In the UK: FAMILYHELP.ORG.UK  and REFUGE.ORG.UK  Phone# 0808 2000 247

Show Website:  CherryAvenueTrueCrime.com

My e-mail:  host@cherryavenuetruecrime.com

Visit me on social media:  Twitter: @AvenueCrime  Instagram: Cherry Avenue True Crime

Francine Hughes Killed Her Abusive Husband—And Changed U.S. Views on Domestic Violence – HISTORY

Francine Hughes – Wikipedia

Francine Hughes Wilson, 69, Domestic Violence Victim Who Took Action, Dies – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

The Burning Bed – Wikipedia

James Berlin “Mickey” Hughes (1945-1977) – Find A Grave Memorial

“The Burning Bed”: A turning point in fight against domestic violence (lansingstatejournal.com)

Francine Wilson, domestic abuse victim and subject of TV film “The Burning Bed,” dies at 69 – Chicago Tribune

‘Burning Bed’ murder case: defense attorney looks back | WKAR

Francine Hughes Wilson, who inspired ‘The Burning Bed,’ dies at 69 (lansingstatejournal.com)

The mother of a man killed in an incident… – UPI Archives

Francine Hughes Wilson, whose ‘burning bed’ became a TV film, dies at 69 – The Washington Post

Francine Hughes Killed Her Abusive Husband—And Changed U.S. Views on Domestic Violence – HISTORY

Statistics (ncadv.org)

The facts – Refuge Charity – Domestic Violence Help

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At Close Range

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Welcome Back to Cherry Avenue True Crime Podcast.

Just a quick reminder that new episodes come out on the 15th and 30th of each month, with the occasional random bonus episode thrown out there, so please hit subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes.

At Close Range  is an incredibly good movie.  It’s from 1986 and I found it on Amazon Prime, as well as Tubi which is a free streaming service and it looks like it is available on Showtime as well, although I currently don’t have that one.

It has a star studded cast including:

Sean Penn, Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn, Christopher Walken, Crispin Glover and Kiefer Sutherland.

It is an excellent movie all on it’s own. One of the reviews I read said “I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone.”

This is one of the few old true crime movies that I hadn’t seen, and hadn’t heard about the case before watching.  I’m not kidding when I say that there were at least two parts that had me absolutely speechless.  Like jaw dropping.

I was so blown away by this movie that I decided to move it up in the recording schedule.

The movie starts out with the words:  Based on a True Story.

And I’m going to tell you….this movie follows so close to the real story…it’s one of the closest to the real stories I’ve ever seen.  So, I’ll tell you about the movie which is just about the whole real story, and then at the end I’ll tell you about the bits that were included just for the movie, and I’ll go over what really happened in those instances.

CherryAvenueTrueCrime.com

Email: host@cherryavenuetruecrime.com

Twitter:  @AvenueCrime

Instagram:  Instagram.com/cherryavenuetruecrime

Sources for this episode:

Bruce Johnston (criminal) – Wikipedia

The Kiddie Gang: The True Crime Story Behind the Film ‘At Close Range’ (didyouknowfacts.com)

Bruce Johnston Sr., 63; Notorious Killer Dies in Prison – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

James Foley’s “At Close Range” and the Real Story of the Johnston Gang (treepony.com)  This is an excellent review of the movie.

Com. v. Johnston, 42 A.3d 1120 – CourtListener.com

Latest appeal denied for Norman and David Johnston | News | delcotimes.com

‘Tired’ Escapee Gives Up The Fight – The Washington Post

Escape revives a town’s bad memories (post-gazette.com)

The Actual Truth Behind Devil’s Road in Chadds Ford, PA (wjbr.com)

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The Exception, Not the Rule

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The Exception, Not the Rule

Welcome Back to Cherry Avenue True Crime Podcast

The Based on a True Story movie we are exploring today is In Plain Sight, and the case is the murders committed by the man said to be Scotland’s first serial killer, Peter Manuel.  We also have a side case about the last woman to be hung in Scotland in 1923.  It’s a crazy story. They are both are.

 

CherryAvenueTrueCrime.com

Email: host@cherryavenuetruecrime.com

Twitter: @AvenueCrime

Instagram:  @CherryAvenueTrueCrime

 

 

Sources for the episode:

Peter Manuel – Wikipedia

In Plain Sight (British TV series) – Wikipedia

Revealed: Sex secrets of Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel – Daily Record

The Beast of Birkenshaw: The Brutal Crimes of Peter Manuel (the-line-up.com)

Bid to exhume bodies of killers executed at Barlinnie Prison – BBC News

s://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-W1AAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zKcMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5913,3877922&dq=susan-newell+murder&hl=enhttp

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Peter Manuel, Scotland’s Most Notorious Serial Killer (wgbh.org)

Who was Peter Manuel, when was the serial killer hanged and why was he nicknamed the Beast of Birkenshaw? (thesun.co.uk)

Peter Manuel – Scotland’s most notorious serial killer – THE SCOTS LAW BLOG

BBC Scotland – BBC Scotland – Why the gruesome murders and disputed sentence of serial killer Peter Manuel still fascinate us 60 years on

Crimes that shocked Scotland: The serial killer who was rumbled by cops after spending his victims’ cash in the boozer – Daily Record

Susan Newell – Wikipedia

The chilling story of child killer Susan Newell – the last woman hanged in Scotland – Glasgow Live

 

 

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UK Killers

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UK Killers.  Based on a True Story Movie Series.

This podcast is currently covering the movies that are made about true crime cases and going over the real story and details behind it.

Two new movies today:  The Pembrokshire Murders and London Road. .  Two serial killers from the UK.   

Instagram:  @CherryAvenueTrueCrime

Twitter: @AvenueCrime

Email: host@cherryavenuetruecrime.com

CherryAvenueTrueCrime.com

 

Sources:

Steve Wright (serial killer) – Wikipedia

Ipswich serial murders – Wikipedia

Who is Steve Wright and where is he now? – The Sun

The Real Pembrokeshire Murders: Inside the True Story | Heavy.com

John Cooper (serial killer) – Wikipedia

 The horrifying unknown details of John Cooper’s life which culminated in multiple murders – Wales Online

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13731762/pembrokeshire-murderer-john-cooper-wife-pat/

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Merry Black Widows

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Welcome back to Cherry Avenue True Crime Podcast.

 I have two new movies for you, in this continued series, Based on a True Story; a true crime story that is.  

Both are about black widows who chose poison.  Interestingly, they were both southern women and were operating around the same time period.  One in North Carolina and one in Alabama.

The Black Widow Murders: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story (1993)

and

Wife, Mother, Murderer (1991)

We cover the movies and go behind the movies for the true story it was based on.

Visit me on:  CherryAvenueTrueCrime.com

and Social Media:  Twitter:  @AvenueCrime   Instagram: Cherry Avenue True Crime

Email: host@CherryAvenueTrueCrime.com

 

Sources for this episode:

Marie Hilley | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom

Audrey Marie Hilley – Wikipedia

27 Interesting And Strange Facts About Audrey Marie Hilley – Tons Of Facts

Marie Hilley murdered her husband and poisoned her daughter before escaping prison (monstersandcritics.com)

Blanche Taylor Moore – Wikipedia

Blanche Taylor Moore: Black Widow Killer is North Carolina’s oldest woman on death row – ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

Blanche Taylor Moore: Black Widow Killer is North Carolina’s oldest woman on death row – ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

Where is Blanche Taylor Moore Now? Is She Still in Jail Today? Is Blanche Taylor Moore Dead or Alive? (thecinemaholic.com)

Former prosecutor in Blanche Taylor Moore trial dies in Charlotte | Charlotte Observer

Blanche Taylor Moore Women On Death Row | My Crime Library

Preacher’s Girl: The Life and Crimes of Blanche Taylor Moore: Schutze, Jim: 9780688119348: Amazon.com: Books  JIM SCHUTZE

 

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Based On A True Story

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Based on a True Story: This is the first episode in a series of episodes to feature cases that also have movies based on them.  Our own Based on a True Story series.  Some movies are much more obscure than others but with a little searching you can find them on your streaming services or possibly on youtube.  For each episode: I will tell you all about what happened for real in the case and give you the name of a movie that it is based on it.  Also, stay tuned at end of each episode as I will give you some bonus movie names that you can look up and watch, and of course, are based on true crime stories.

The True Crime Movie that was based on this first case is:  And Never Let Her Go (2001 movie) Starring: Mark Harmon, Kathryn Morris, Paul Michael Glaser and Steven Eckhold. The movie is Based on the Ann Rule book of the same name.  I found the movie on TubiTV at the time of research for this recording.

CherryAvenueTrueCrime.com

Email:  host@cherryavenuetruecrime.com

Twitter: @AvenueCrime

Instagram:  Cherry Avenue True Crime

 

Sources:

Movie:  AND NEVER LET HER GO(2001)

BOOK:  AND NEVER LET HER GO BY ANN RULE

Anne Marie Fahey: Person, pictures and information – Fold3.com

Notorious convicted killer Thomas Capano found dead in Delaware prison cell – WHYY

 

Bonus Movies:

1) THE HILLSIDE STRANGLERS (1989) Based on the true story of serial killers Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono and the investigation and capture. Starring: Richard Crenna, Billy Zane, and Dennis Farina.

2) WHEN LOVE KILLS: THE SEDCUTION OF JOHN HEARN (1993) When Love Kills: The Seduction of John Hearn (1993)

3) Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston (1990)

 

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Looking for Mr. Goodbar Murder

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This is the true story of the murder of Roseann Quinn.

It was the basis for the Novel, Looking For Mr. Goodbar,  written by Judith Rossner.  The novel was the basis for the 1977 movie Looking for Mr. Goodbar staring Dianne Keaton and Richard Gere.  Both the novel and movie were loosely based on Rosanne’s murder. In the movie and the novel Rosann’s name was changed to Theresa.

There is another book , Closing Time, by Lacey Forsburgh which says up front that it is The True Story of the “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” murder but names were changed and some parts , especially some of the dialogue, was fictionalized.  In this book Closing Time, Rosann was called Katherine.   I definitely recommend this book.  There is a lot more in it than I could ever tell you here an it’s an addictive read.

After you hear the whole story you will understand why it was covered in so many newspaper accounts.  It was an ongoing case, and investigation, and was covered just about every step of the way through it, and even after it.

Website:  cherryavenuetruecrime.com

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