Nothing says true love like true crime.
Often, love and sex are named by offenders as the motivation behind acts of violence and crime. Though a warped version of affection, many culprits blame Cupid for their criminal behavior.
Check out these five episodes of Crimes of the Centuries with Amber Hunt that center on a crime of passion. Although, we'd highly suggest skipping this playlist until February 15, one day after Valentine's.
Season 2, Episode 5: The Bludgeoning of Edwin Burdick
In the early 1900s, Edwin Burdick seemed to have a perfect life – until his wife, Alice Burdick, admitted to having an affair with one of Edwin's good friends, Arthur Pennell. Once the affair came to light, Edwin and Arthur could be heard having screaming matches in public spaces. But, wouldn't you know it that, after Edwin demanded a divorce... he was found murdered in his own home, bludgeoned to death. Then, Arthur and his wife drove off a cliff only two weeks later. Alice Burdick survived, seemingly ambivalent on the stand in court. To this day, the case of this deadly love triangle is officially closed, but remains unsolved.
Season 2, Episode 4: Too Scandalous for the Papers: The Hix-Snook Case
Theora Hix wasn't shy about her interest in sex. She talked to her partners openly about various books she read on the topic of intercourse, which went against the norms of a more prudish 1920s society. Nonetheless, she was, by all accounts, a normal and quiet woman in her early 20s. So, when she was found murdered at only 24 years-old, her friends and loved ones were shocked. When two of her lovers were quickly arrested, Theora Hix's sex life was soon thrust into the press, with some of the main suspect's testimony deemed too shocking to print.
Season 1, Episode 35: The Massacre at Taliesin
Frank Lloyd Wright remains one of the most influential and well-known architects of the 20th Century. He had a penchant for design – and a penchant for sex. He was known to have a mistress in addition to his wife. So, when his home, Taliesin, was set ablaze and several of its inhabitants were killed, the question arose – who committed this travesty? And why?
Season 1, Episode 21: Fatty Arbuckle – Scandal in Hollywood
Fatty Arbuckle was well-known at the turn of the 20th Century, having established himself as a beloved comedian, director, silent film actor, and screenwriter in Hollywood. But when Arbuckle was accused of taking sexual advantage and murdering an up-and-coming performer named Virginia Rappe, the public was shocked. The story has been muddied and mistold over the past 100 years, but reporter Amber Hunt has waded through the research to tell the story of this shocking murder in Crimes of the Centuries.
Season 1, Episode 11: Sex, Lies, and Murder: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, and Harry Thaw
Ever heard of a love triangle? What happens when it turns deadly? Investigators asked themselves that question when architect Stanford White was murdered by a man named Harry Thaw. Both men had had a romantic relationship with a woman, Evelyn Nesbit. In Amber Hunt's words, "With hundreds of witnesses, the case was never a whodunit. Rather, it was a gripping tale of sex, lies and murder." Listen now.