S36 E5: Election Day | The Cult Queen of Canada

In the rural prairie town of Richmound, Saskatchewan, an abandoned school became the unlikely stage for a 21st-century crisis. When Romana Didulo, a cult leader who calls herself “Queen of Canada,” arrived with her followers and turned the school into her royal court, the town was thrust into a surreal standoff.In this episode of Crime Story, investigative journalist Rachel Browne sits down with Crime Story host, Kathleen Goldhar to uncover how online extremism bled into everyday life and divided the town. You can listen to more incredible tales of true crime every week on Crime Story. Find more Crime Story episodes in your favourite podcast app, or here: https://link.mgln.ai/CSxCQOC

A shocking RCMP raid on the Kingdom of Canada's Richmound school brings the years-long standoff to a dramatic climax. Arrests, legal maneuvering, and a final eviction decide the fate of Queen Romana and her followers.

It's Election Day in Richmound. The town votes for a new mayor in a desperate battle to heal the divide caused by Queen Romana's cult. Amidst the high-stakes political maneuvering, the cult's true danger is revealed through one vulnerable family.

Clowns burn a flag, the Mayor plugs a sewer, and Richmound turns on itself. The conflict moves to the ballot box when a local gives cult members voting rights via a property deed, setting the stage for a dramatic mayoral election that could see the town taken over.

An unexpected victory quickly unravels when a hidden network of cult supporters in Richmound is exposed. Violent conflict erupts between neighbors, revealing a dark side to the divided community as the battle for the town escalates.

Rachel Browne explores the true identity of "Queen Romana," a serial hustler and QAnon influencer who mobilized her "digital soldiers" with "Royal Decrees." We track her chaotic cross-country "Royal Tour" and find out why it ended in Richmound.Hear episodes early and ad-free on our Apple Podcasts channel, or hear all episodes now on our YouTube.

The prairie town of Richmound is shattered when "Queen of Canada" Romana Didulo and her cult occupy the local school. As the mayor struggles, locals organize a tense protest against the cult's intimidation and death threats, revealing deep divisions in the community.Hear all episodes of The Cult Queen of Canada now on CBC True Crime on YouTube, or hear all eps now, ad-free, on CBC True Crime Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Coming February 23. A tiny Saskatchewan town faces a surreal crisis when a cult leader calling herself “The Queen of Canada” occupies an abandoned school. As neighbours turn on each other, a retired teacher leads resistance in a story about what happens when online extremism spills into the real world. Hosted by Rachel Browne.Hear episodes early and ad-free by subscribing to CBC True Crime Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Valley of Shadows from Pushkin is a new true crime podcast that digs into a nearly 30-year old secret buried in the California desert. On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Aujay set out for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park — and never came back. Aujay has yet to be found. The Sheriff’s Department rules Aujay’s disappearance a suicide, but friends, family, and fellow deputies insist the story doesn’t add up. Instead, they believe Aujay may have stumbled into the Mojave Desert’s criminal underworld — where outlaw biker gangs crank out methamphetamine and local cops operate on both sides of the law. Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, journalists Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd explore one of Southern California’s most mysterious missing person cases. In Valley of Shadows, they ask: What is the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department hiding? Find Valley of Shadows wherever you get podcasts.

Natalie Robehmed is the first journalist Allison Mack agreed to speak to, on the record, since her release from prison. Allison spent over a decade in NXIVM, the now infamous sex cult where some members were branded with leader Keith Raniere’s initials. She joined the group as a Hollywood actress known for her role on the hit TV show Smallville and eventually climbed the ranks, using her starlet status to recruit other women into the cult.In this episode of Crime Story, Natalie Robehmed discusses the new season of Uncover: Allison after NXIVM, including what it was like to finally hear from Allison, the lies she told to protect Keith, and how she became both victim and perpetrator of his sinister ploys.You can listen to more incredible tales of true crime every week on Crime Story. Find more Crime Story episodes in your podcast app, or here: https://link.mgln.ai/CSxAfterNXIVM