Naomi Clifford: Women and the Gallows

Throughout history, women have been convicted of crime, sometimes violent crimes, we know that. But most were not sent to the gallows. Historian Naomi Clifford decided to tell the story of the time period in England, 40 years beginning in the late 1700s, and the women who were given the death penalty. She tells me about their crimes, their defense…and their lives before their deaths. Her book is called: Women and the Gallows.  Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Diane Fanning is known for covering high profile cases like Casey Anthony and JonBenet Ramsey. But not with this book. In the summer of 2011, Laura Jean Ackerson left to pick up her two sons from her ex-husband’s home. And she was never seen alive again. Diane digs into this case, which leads us from North Carolina to Texas. Her book is called, Bitter Remains: A Custody Battle, A Gruesome Crime, and the Mother Who Paid the Ultimate Price.  Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2019, surveillance cameras at the headquarters of Britain’s spy agency in London recorded video of a 19-year-old man. He was pacing back and forth on a high balcony of a luxury tower along the bank of the river. A two in the morning, he jumped into the water. Soon, his family discovered that he had lived a secret life that might have led to his death. From the bestselling author Patrick Radden Keefe tells me about his book, London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth.  Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One type of crime we don’t talk about much is Munchausen by proxy. It’s a mental health condition and a form of child abuse. It's where a caregiver exaggerates, makes up, or induces physical or psychological symptoms in a child to make them seem sick. Or it could be another person under their care. Author Andrea Dunlop writes about Munchausen by Proxy in her book, The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. She and a Texas detective review his past cases and try to make sense of what happened. Andrea and I also talk about perhaps the most well-known case, Gypsy Rose Blanchard.  Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Susan Orlean wrote a best-selling book years ago that you’ve probably heard of: The Orchid Thief. It was made into a movie called Adaptation. Susan has now written another book—this one about an unexpected crime that might not have been a crime at all. A fire in the LA Public Library destroyed more than 400,000 books in 1986. Did they find out what caused it? Or who? Susan tells me the story in her book, The Library Book.  Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the most enduring mysteries in crime history is the horrible murder of Elizabeth Short. The Black Dhalia case has been told over and over again, including by Paul Holes and me on Buried Bones. But author William J. Mann has taken a different angle…and I really like it. He’s written a deeply researched, victim-forward book about Elizabeth: her life, her struggles and her death. But his focus is right where it’s supposed to be: on her. William tells me about his new book, Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood.  Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is our second ESPN story about the intersection between sports and murder. ESPN was asked by the Miami-Dade Police to look into the 2006 murder of a star football player at the University of Miami. What reporter Paula Lavigne found was a complicated victim, a questionable suspect, and a police department that likely regrets calling ESPN to begin with. She tells me about the story at the center of her podcast: “Murder at the U."  Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve never interviewed someone about wildlife trafficking, but journalist Rachel Nuwer’s story for The Economist was so compelling that I wanted to explore it. It’s about an orphanage in Africa where kids are used as foot soldiers in an illegal animal and ivory smuggling operation. Rachel's article is called: The School for Wildlife Traffickers.  Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Randy Barnett is a law professor at Georgetown University. But decades ago, he was a young prosecutor in Cook County’s State’s Attorney’s office. In Chicago, Randy dealt with gritty crime, of course, but some of his biggest challenges were battling police corruption, crooked co-workers, and judges on the take. Randy tells me about his book: Felony Review: Tales of True Crime and Corruption in Chicago.  Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re taking you back to 1980s West Texas. When a Catholic priest was found murdered in a seedy hotel in Odessa, investigators focused on a gay Apache man who had made an accusation against the victim. Director Deborah Esquenazi tells the story in her film with Texas Monthly: Night in West Texas.  Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.