American Nightmare - 559

When Frank Farian first laid eyes on Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, he saw everything he wasn’t. They were handsome, young, and Black. But Frank had something they didn’t. He had power.So, Frank offered them a devil’s bargain. Almost overnight, Milli Vanilli’s debut album went five times platinum and scored a Grammy nomination. But when the lie at the center of their success started to unravel, Rob and Fab would discover the hard way the difference between star power and real power.From Wondery, Blame It on the Fame is a story about the lie that shot to #1 and what it cost to tell the truth. Hosted by Amanda Seales.Listen early and ad-free exclusively on Wondery+: Wondery.fm/BIOTF_MVSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

March 21st, 2012. El Cajon, California. Shaima Alawadi was attacked inside her home and died from her injuries three days later. Shaima was a Muslim woman and because a threatening note was found next to her body, investigators initially considered the possibility that her death was a hate crime.Get bonus content from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

June 28, 2014. Cottonport, Louisiana. When 29 year old kindergarten teacher and mother of two, Megan Ducote Parra, is found on the floor of her living room in a pool of her own blood with a gunshot wound to the head, detectives quickly rule it a suicide. But after some investigation of their own, Megan’s parents became suspicious that she may have been murdered.Get access to our Discord and get more episodes at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Holden, MO. February 18, 1984. Bill Prewitt was shot and killed while he slept. His wife, Patty Prewitt, gathered the four kids and went to a neighbor’s house for help. Officers suspected Patty of committing the crime almost instantly. Get bonus content from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

January 31st, 2013. Kaufman, Texas. Prosecutor Mark Hasse was shot multiple times as he walked to the Kaufman County courthouse. Two months later, Kaufman County DA Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia were murdered while they slept inside their home. The suspect was a former justice of the peace who was convicted of theft just a year earlier. Get bonus content from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 13th, 1971. The Pas, Manitoba. 19-year-old Helen Betty Osborne was a Cree woman who was abducted and murdered by four white men in a small town. It took over a decade for the perpetrators to face charges, despite the fact that many people in the community knew the names of all involved. Get bonus content from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

July 12, 1988. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the summer of 1988, 4-year-old Barbara Jean Horn went missing from her home in Philadelphia PA. Last seen holding hands with an unknown man, she was later found dead, beaten and bloodied, in a TV box two blocks away from her home. With no leads to go on, other than a composite sketch of the unknown male, the case went cold. But several years later, in 1992, new detectives on the case arrested a man whom they claimed confessed to the crime.Get even more episodes from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

December 11, 1964, Los Angeles, CA. Sam Cooke, legendary singer, songwriter, activist, and businessman was shot to death in a motel wearing only a jacket and wristwatch. Bertha Franklin, the motel’s manager, and Lisa Boyer, the woman he arrived with, claimed Sam attacked them individually and Franklin shot him in self-defense. Conspiracy theories and doubts about the investigation continue to plague the case decades later.Get bonus content from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

January 12th, 2022. Harris County, Texas. After 41 years, two murder victims known as the Harris County Does were finally identified as Dean and Tina Clouse, a young married couple with a child. After speaking to their families, investigators focused on finding their daughter, Holly Marie, who had never been located. https://justicefordeanandtina.com/Get bonus content from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

September 28th, 2014. Skillman (Montgomery Township), New Jersey. The bodies of John and Joyce Sheridan, a prominent couple with political connections, were found inside their burning home. Details about their deaths were suppressed for months until the prosecutor’s office declared the case a murder-suicide. Numerous people, including the Sheridans’ sons, expressed their doubts about this ruling.Get bonus content from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.