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Episode 99 Some crimes are impulsive. This one wasn’t. In December 1993, six bombs were delivered across upstate New York in less than ninety minutes. Five people were killed. One survived by pure chance. Another device failed to detonate. And one bomb was unknowingly driven around the region in the back of a courier van before police could stop it. The victims weren’t politicians. They weren’t business rivals. They weren’t part of an organized crime war. They were a family. In this episode, we begin breaking down Domestic Detonation—a coordinated bombing campaign driven not by ideology or profit, but by control. According to investigators, the targets shared one connection: they were the support system of a woman trying to leave a volatile relationship. Part 1 focuses on the human story and the investigation: The victims and the nearly identical package bombs How investigators realized these attacks were connected Why one woman was spared while the rest of her family was targeted The early suspects—and why nothing was as simple as it first appeared The unsettling role of loyalty, manipulation, and obsession in escalating violence We’ll also introduce the two men at the center of the case—and the red flags investigators couldn’t ignore. In Part 2, we’ll shift into the forensic evidence: How investigators linked the bombs What the explosive components revealed The confession—and the questions surrounding it How forensic reconstruction unraveled the plot piece by piece Buy Burn Boston Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/ipCuGL2 Buy Bang Boom Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/a2EACYf The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Miller, Wayne M. Bang Boom Burn: Explosive True Crime Gun, Bombing, and Arson Cases from a Federal Agent’s Career. AuthorHouse, 2021. ISBN 978-1-7333403-5-9. Craig, Gary. “Christmas package bomber who killed 5 in New York dies in prison.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Updated Nov. 14, 2024. “His mouth got him in trouble.” Associated Press, published in The Roanoke Times, Dec. 31, 1993 (Virginia Tech newspaper archive). United States of America v. Michael T. Stevens, 83 F.3d 60 (2d Cir. 1996). Justia. Van Biema, David. “Death on Delivery.” TIME. Jan. 10, 1994. “A Conviction in Case of 5 Deaths by Bombs.” The New York Times. Apr. 1, 1995. (Accessed via Murderpedia; direct link not captured.) “Jury Is Seated in Upstate Mail Bombing.” The New York Times. Mar. 7, 1995. (Accessed via Murderpedia; direct link not captured.) Van Gelder, Lawrence. “Plea Bargain in Mail Bombings That Killed 5 Upstate.” The New York Times. Feb. 9, 1995. (Accessed via Murderpedia; direct link not captured.) “How Detectives Caught the New York Serial Bomber.” Real Responders (YouTube). Posted Feb. 24, 2020. “N.Y. bombing plot may have taken shape as long as year ago.” Tampa Bay Times. Published Jan. 2, 1994; updated Oct. 6, 2005.

Episode 98 In 1999, Garland “Butch” Martin was convicted of killing his girlfriend, Marcia Poole, and her two young children, Brady and Kristin, and was sentenced on three counts of capital murder in Midland, Texas. The State told a compelling story: domestic abuse, accelerant-driven fire, pre-fire blunt force trauma, and motive. A jury believed it. Twenty-four years later, Butch Martin was exonerated. In Part Two of this two-part series, April breaks down what the jury didn’t hear: conflicting fire science, flawed forensic anthropology testimony, discarded physical evidence, and the physics of fire that contradict the State’s entire arson-murder theory. We examine the defense, the appellate process, modern NFPA-aligned fire investigation principles, and how the work of Dr. Gerald Hurst and John Lentini unraveled the narrative. Because before you can call something arson-murder, you have to prove arson — and in this case, there is zero credible evidence that this fire was intentionally set. In this episode we cover: The defense’s accidental fire theory Conflicting chemical analysis (Norpar & “deparaffinated kerosene”) What Dr. Gerald Hurst and John Lentini found years later Why NFPA 921 rejects “pour pattern” folklore The missing extension cord and freezer on the back porch 40 mph winds and the physics problem for the State’s origin theory Cerebral edema vs. “blunt force trauma” Anthropologist vs. medical examiner expertise boundaries The appellate court’s reasoning for exoneration How wrongful arson convictions keep happening When you strip away mythology and examine only evidence, this case collapses. Every credible data point points to an accidental fire — and an innocent man lost 24 years of his life. The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources: Please see the source list from Episode 97. 

Episode 97 In this first episode of our two-part series, we go to Midland, Texas, where a fatal house fire claimed the lives of Marcia Pool and two children, Brady and Kristin. In the aftermath, investigators concluded the blaze was intentionally set — and they pointed to one man: Butch Martin. The state built its theory around burn patterns, accelerant findings, eyewitness accounts, and interpretations of fire behavior that were considered reliable at the time, but would later come under scrutiny as fire folklore. Claims about liquid accelerants, pour patterns, and “arson indicators” formed the backbone of the prosecution’s case. In Part 1, we cover: The timeline leading up to the fire How investigators interpreted burn patterns and damage The prosecution’s theory of how and why the fire was set Eyewitness testimony that shaped the narrative The role accelerant testing played in the case This episode focuses on the fire itself and the state’s case. It sets the stage for a larger discussion about how outdated investigative practices — including the interpretation of burn patterns during flashover and the assumed meaning of “pour patterns” — contributed to arson convictions during this era. Next week in Part 2, we take a critical look at the defense, the evolution of modern fire science, and the post-conviction efforts that challenged the original findings. The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Texas Tech University — Fearless (S4 Episode 4) “Butch Martin and Allison Clayton | Part 1” (Published October 2, 2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW3ASCLIu9s Texas Tech University — Fearless (S4 Episode 5) “Butch Martin and Allison Clayton | Part 2” (Published October 9, 2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uH2sK2_10E Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng — Episode #339 “Maggie Freleng with Garland Leon ‘Butch’ Martin” (Published March 6, 2023) https://www.firstalert7.com/2024/05/23/midland-man-exonerated-after-23-years-prison/ International Network of Innocent Arson Defendants (NIAD). “Butch Martin.” https://www.niad.info/Butch_Martin.html “Judge Recommends Vacating Conviction for Midland Man Serving Life in Prison.” NewsWest9 (November 2, 2022). https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/judge-recommends-vacating-conviction-for-midland-man/513-81762bbe-303c-4289-b63d-6ad0a042f099 NewsWest9 (YouTube). “Friends of the late Marcia Pool recall alleged abuse from ‘Butch’ Martin.” (Posted May 23, 2022). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPvq0AMbsl4 “Beaumont Jury Finds Man Guilty of Pushing Painkillers.” Houston Chronicle (July 1, 2010). https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Beaumont-jury-finds-man-guilty-of-pushing-728398.php Ratemds.com. Physician Reviews for Dr. David Hobbit (reviews as recent as 2015). https://www.ratemds.com

Episode 96 On December 31, 1986, just hours before Puerto Rico would ring in the New Year, flames tore through the luxurious Dupont Plaza Hotel and Casino in San Juan. What began as a labor dispute escalated into one of the deadliest hotel fires in U.S. history, killing 97 people and injuring more than 140. In the aftermath, investigators would uncover arson, negligence, ignored safety recommendations, a chaotic evacuation, and a legal battle that reshaped fire codes across the hospitality industry. In this episode, we examine: The labor tensions and strike that set the stage for disaster The timeline of the fire and how it spread so rapidly How smoke and toxic gases became the primary killers Failures in life safety systems, egress, and emergency planning The investigation that quickly identified arson Criminal charges against arsonists Massive civil litigation and code reforms that followed Lessons learned in the context of other hotel/casino fires of the era The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Video & Documentary Sources Dupont Plaza Hotel Arson Investigation. Señor Onion’s Archives. YouTube, April 13, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JyUjUoX_so Dupont Plaza Hotel Arson of 1986. Señor Onion’s Archives. YouTube, October 21, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJsFLgxuDJ8 Government / Technical / Legal Reports Nelson, Harold E. “An Engineering Analysis of the Early Stages of Fire Development — The Fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel and Casino — December 31, 1986.” NBSIR 87-3560, National Bureau of Standards, Center for Fire Research, U.S. Department of Commerce, April 1987. Levy, Harold M. “The Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire Litigation: A Case Study in Cooperative Defense.” Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation, Vol. 7, No. 12, December 1989, pp. 215–233. José Francisco Rivera-Lopez, Plaintiff, Appellant, v. United States of America, Defendant, Appellee. U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 4 F.3d 982, September 15, 1993. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/4/982/525384/ (Note: First Circuit Local Rule 36.2(b)6 — Unpublished opinions may be cited only in related cases.) News & Contemporary Coverage (1987) “Teamsters Dispute with Dupont Plaza Dates Back Four Months.” UPI Archives, January 13, 1987. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/01/13/Teamsters-dispute-with-Dupont-Plaza-dates-back-four-months/7070215305413/ Brossy, Julie. “A Dupont Plaza Bar Boy Was Charged Today With…” UPI Archives, January 14, 1987. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/01/14/A-Dupont-Plaza-bar-boy-was-charged-today-with/8362537598800/ Hernandez, Moises. “Suspect in Hotel Fire Was Honored for Saving ‘Many Lives.’” UPI Archives, January 14, 1987. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/01/14/Suspect-in-hotel-fire-was-honored-for-saving-many-lives/2708537598800/ Gaulin, Edward J. “Defendants Plead Guilty in Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire.” UPI Archives, April 24, 1987. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/04/24/Defendants-plead-guilty-in-Dupont-Plaza-Hotel-fire/8801546235200/ Wilentz, Amy. “A New Year We’ll Never Forget.” TIME, January 12, 1987. https://time.com/archive/6708028/a-new-year-well-never-forget/ Features, Retrospectives & Later Reporting Tepfer, Daniel. “A Vacation in Paradise Turns into Fiery Hell.” CTPost, Updated December 30, 2011. https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/a-vacation-in-paradise-turns-into-fiery-hell-2432149.php Reference / Encyclopedia & Summary Sources Dewey, Joseph. “Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire.” EBSCO Knowledge Advantage Research Starters, 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/dupont-plaza-hotel-fire “Dupont Plaza Hotel Arson.” Grokipedia. https://grokipedia.com/page/Dupont_Plaza_Hotel_arson

Episode 95 In 1980, a seemingly unremarkable fire threatened to expose something far more dangerous than arson. What investigators uncovered was a trail that pointed toward an arms pipeline linked directly to the Irish Republican Army, operating quietly while The Troubles raged overseas. At the center of it all was Charles Galant—a small-time thief who never set out to be part of something so vast, but who became the sole link between a suspicious fire and an armory heist that tied someone in his network to the IRA. In this episode of Crime to Burn, we explore: The fire that first drew police attention How investigators connected a local blaze to an international arms network The role of theft, secrecy, and compartmentalization in terrorist operations How Galant’s actions exposed vulnerabilities inside a tightly controlled system And how one overlooked incident nearly unraveled an entire pipeline This is a story about unintended consequences, criminal blind spots, and how fire once again became the catalyst that revealed what was never meant to be seen. Because even the most disciplined organizations fail at their weakest link. Buy Burn Boston Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/ipCuGL2 Buy Bang Boom Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/a2EACYf The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Miller, Wayne M. Bang Boom Burn: Explosive True Crime Gun, Bombing, and Arson Cases from a Federal Agent’s Career. AuthorHouse, 2021. ISBN 978-1-7333403-5-9. Gagnon, Daniel A. “Danvers Armory Robbery, 1976.” Specters of Salem Village, March 17, 2019. https://spectersofsalemvillage.com/2019/03/17/danvers-armory-robbery-1976/ “Official Irish Republican Army.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Irish_Republican_Army “Frank Salemme.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Salemme  

Episode 94 In Part 2 of our series on the Iroquois Theatre Fire, we examine what happened after the flames went out — and why, despite hundreds of deaths, no one was ever held criminally accountable. Although the fire was accidental, the failures that made it lethal were anything but unforeseeable. In the aftermath, Chicago demanded answers. A coroner’s inquest, multiple grand juries, and a wave of indictments followed — implicating theater owners, city officials, inspectors, fire officials, and contractors. For a brief moment, it looked like accountability might finally arrive. But the law proved unequal to the scale of the tragedy. In this episode, we break down how rigid legal standards, gaps in evidence collection, political power struggles, and a failure to clearly assign responsibility allowed every criminal case to collapse. We explore why manslaughter charges failed, how loopholes in municipal authority undermined enforcement, and how even civil lawsuits left victims’ families without compensation. Finally, we look at what did change — the life safety reforms born from the Iroquois Theatre Fire that still protect us today, from outward-swinging exit doors to panic hardware and illuminated exit signs. This is the story of a tragedy that reshaped fire and building codes across the world — and a justice system that, when tested, quietly stepped aside. The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster, 1903 Hatch, Anthony P. Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster, 1903. Chicago, IL: Academy Chicago Publishers, 2003. Woodward, Frederic C., & Smith, Frank O. The Iroquois Theater Cases—A Flagrant Instance of the Law’s Delays. Illinois Law Review, Vol. 1 (1906–1907).

Episode 93 On December 30, 1903, Chicago gathered for a matinee performance at the Iroquois Theater—a venue that had opened just five weeks earlier and was widely promoted as one of the safest, most modern theaters in the country. It was advertised as “absolutely fireproof.” It was anything but. In this episode of Crime to Burn, we examine the Iroquois Theater Fire, one of the deadliest single-building fires in U.S. history—and a catastrophe that unfolded in minutes inside a brand-new building that had never been tested by an emergency evacuation. What began as a small stage fire rapidly escalated as design flaws, concealed exits, inadequate fire protection, and human panic collided. Patrons were funneled into dead ends, trapped behind locked or hidden doors, or forced toward fire escapes that had never been completed. Mothers and children were separated. Entire families were lost. Outside the theater, rescue attempts turned deadly as ladders slipped and fire escapes collapsed. In the aftermath, even identifying the dead became a challenge—there was no accurate way to know how many people had attended the performance or who had successfully escaped. The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster, 1903 Hatch, Anthony P. Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster, 1903. Chicago, IL: Academy Chicago Publishers, 2003.

Episode 92 In the conclusion of Samarcand, we turn away from the fire itself and examine what happened after sixteen teenage girls were arrested — and what the justice system did when it realized it had no good options left. With Samarcand no longer able to house them, the state faced a question it wasn’t prepared to answer: What do you do with traumatized, rebellious, and violently angry teenage girls the system has already failed? In this episode, we explore: The debate over how — or whether — the girls should be tried The real possibility of sending minors to adult penitentiaries The fear of releasing them back into the public And the consequences of incarcerating them in county jails unequipped to handle them As the girls were moved through the system, tensions exploded. Jail riots broke out. Authorities lost control. And the public narrative hardened around fear rather than reform. We examine how this case exposed a fundamental flaw in the justice system: it is built to punish or release — not to rehabilitate. Especially not when the defendants are young, angry, and shaped by institutional neglect. Finally, we look at what the Samarcand case changed — and what it didn’t. How it influenced conversations around juvenile justice, where reform stalled, and why the same structural failures continue to repeat themselves today. This is not a story about guilt or innocence alone. It’s about a system that had already run out of answers before it ever asked the right questions. The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Bennett, Barbara. Smoke Signals from Samarcand: The 1931 Reform School Fire and Its Aftermath. University of South Carolina Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1-61117-860-9 (cloth) • ISBN 978-1-61117-861-6 (ebook). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: https://www.sc.edu/uscpress/ Mentioned in Episode (not used as a research source): Zipf, Karin L. Bad Girls at Samarcand: Sexuality and Sterilization in a Southern Juvenile Reformatory. University of North Carolina Press, April 4, 2016. ISBN 978-1-4696-2791-9 (hardcover). Note: This book was referenced by title during the episode but was not used as a source or basis for research for this show.

Episode 91 Sixteen girls. Multiple fires. A system built to control them — and a desperate act that forced the nation to look closer. In this episode, we step inside the walls of the Samarcand Reform School for Girls in North Carolina, where young women lived under harsh discipline, forced labor, and relentless institutional oversight. On the night they began setting fires, they weren’t just striking a match — they were striking back. This is a story of defiance, injustice, and the blurred line between rebellion and survival. Were these girls arsonists — or victims fighting for autonomy the only way they could? Listen as we follow the smoke through history and confront the uncomfortable truth about who society punishes, who it protects, and what incendiary acts are born from desperation. The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Bennett, Barbara. Smoke Signals from Samarcand: The 1931 Reform School Fire and Its Aftermath. University of South Carolina Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1-61117-860-9 (cloth) • ISBN 978-1-61117-861-6 (ebook). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: https://www.sc.edu/uscpress/ Mentioned in Episode (not used as a research source): Zipf, Karin L. Bad Girls at Samarcand: Sexuality and Sterilization in a Southern Juvenile Reformatory. University of North Carolina Press, April 4, 2016. ISBN 978-1-4696-2791-9 (hardcover). Note: This book was referenced by title during the episode but was not used as a source or basis for research for this show.

Episode 90 In the final installment of our deep dive into the deadly world of Sarah Hartsfield, we unravel the last threads of a case that spiraled from chaos to calculated cruelty. This episode pulls together the full picture of Sarah’s violent history, her pattern of manipulation, and the chilling timeline that led investigators—and ultimately a jury—to label her actions for what they were. We break down the pivotal moments from Sarah's past that shifted the direction of the trial. From the ignored medical alarms to her past partners’ harrowing accounts, we follow every red flag Sarah left fluttering in her wake. And we return to the question that kicked this series off: Did the jury get it right, was Joe Hartsfield's death murder? Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources: For a full list of sources, please see the show notes for Episode 88 (part 1 of this series)

Episode 89 In Part 2 of our deep dive into the life and crimes of Sarah Hartsfield, we follow the tangled threads back to the beginning. Because before the alleged poisoning, before the string of dead or endangered husbands, before the Dateline episode… there was a childhood already splintered by chaos. This week, we explore: Sarah’s early life — the patterns that began long before her first “I do.” Marriage #1: A relationship marked by volatility, control, and infidelity Her marriage to Chris — the escalating behaviors, the violence, and the fear her family lives with Her brother’s house fire — a nearly fatal fire that was never ruled arson, but relatives think Sarah may be responsible How Sarah’s ability to reinvent herself, charm authority, and flip narratives became the defining machinery of her survival. Part 2 is the setup for where this case truly becomes unbelievable — but as you’ll hear, the warning signs were there all along. Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources: For a full list of sources, please see the show notes for Episode 88 (part 1 of this series)

Episode 88 Sarah Hartsfield didn’t weave a web of silk — she wove a web of control. A web of manipulation. A web she masked with charisma and charm until it finally snapped under its own weight. In October 2025, a jury convicted Sarah Hartsfield of murdering her husband, Joseph Hartsfield, after deliberating for just one hour. One hour — despite the fact that the physical evidence was thin, the investigation delayed, and the medical questions complex. But what wasn’t thin was the pattern that emerged the moment investigators stepped back and looked at Sarah’s life in full. In this episode, we strip away the decades of allegations — the shootings, the fires, the chaos — and start exactly where the jury started: with Joe’s death. With the 911 call. With the deleted searches. With the late-night texts from a man who should have been unconscious. With the video Sarah recorded of her husband gasping for breath. Then we will explore what prosecutors revealed once the pattern of Sarah’s past began to surface — a shocking trail of manipulation, alleged violence, suspicious fires, and the relentless pursuit of control that followed Sarah from childhood to court. This is not just the story of one death. It’s the story of a woman who built an entire life on domination — a Black Widow who spun a web so tangled that, in the end, she became trapped in it herself. Welcome to “Burn, Marry, Kill: The Wicked Web of Sarah Hartsfield.” A story of murder, manipulation, and the flames she allegedly used to keep control. Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Tim Stelloh, Kelley Moody, Mario J. Garcia, Vince Sturla. After woman was charged in her husband’s murder, authorities take a fresh look at other deaths close to her. NBC News. April 28, 2023. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sarah-hartsfield-alleged-murder-husband-david-bragg-dateline-rcna81260 KPRC 2 Click2Houston (YouTube). Sarah Hartsfield Trial: Bombshell phone records from Sarah show contradicting story. Posted October 8, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHDVdNpTuZI Bryce Newberry, Bill Carruthers, Wlad Moquete, Adrian Montes, Adrian Crooks, Matt James, Ana Lastra. The Two Sides of Sarah: Chambers County woman accused of murdering husband Joseph Hartsfield. Click2Houston. Published May 18, 2023; updated February 23, 2024. https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2023/05/18/the-two-sides-of-sarah-chambers-county-woman-accused-of-murdering-husband-joseph-hartsfield/ KPRC 2 Click2Houston (YouTube). New Evidence in Sarah Hartsfield Trial | Toxicology shows insulin, possible prescriptions. Posted October 1, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzyHJHmWBsA KPRC 2 Click2Houston (YouTube). Lead detective details phone data, deleted messages in Sarah Hartsfield’s insulin murder trial. Posted October 7, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKAB5PAo4kU FOX 26 Houston (YouTube). Sarah Hartsfield murder trial: Full closing arguments. Posted October 8, 2025. https://youtu.be/Fyj1bQbRz1E?si=wJ2ZnARKgtXFkKng Dateline NBC. Along Came Sarah. Season 31, Episode 30. Aired April 28, 2023. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27417687/

Episode 87 Hidden beneath the hills of northeast New Mexico lies a ghost that industry left behind. Dawson was once a model mining town — a company-built community boasting schools, golf courses, and an opera house. Phelps Dodge called it progress. But twice, in just ten years, that progress went up in smoke. In 1913 and again in 1923, massive explosions ripped through Dawson’s coal mines, killing 383 miners — fathers, sons, and brothers — in two of the deadliest mining disasters in American history. This episode digs deep into how “safety-forward” operations, good intentions, and one impatient decision turned an idealized town into a field of iron crosses. We’ll explore coal dust explosions, early fire protection efforts underground, and how greed, apathy, and bad timing turned progress into tragedy. Because when profit becomes the accelerant… all it takes is a spark. Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Pappas, Nick. Crosses of Iron: The Tragic Story of Dawson, New Mexico, and Its Twin Mining Disasters. Foreword by Richard Melzer. University of New Mexico Press, 2023. ISBN 978-0-8263-6528-6 (paper), 978-0-8263-6529-3 (electronic). Library of Congress Control Number: 2023940430. https://a.co/d/8sTa5em Sharpe, Tom. “Remembering the Dawson Mining Disaster, 100 Years Later.” The Santa Fe New Mexican, October 19, 2013. https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/remembering-the-dawson-mining-disaster-100-years-later/article_446074ce-ea6b-54cf-a818-992408f6a398.html Villa, Elizabeth. “Dawson, NM: Booming Mine Town Turned Ghost Town.” New Mexico State University Archives Blog, posted May 3, 2022. https://nmsu.libguides.com/blogs/asc/openstacks/posts/Dawson-NM-Booming-mine-town-turned-ghost-town Hawker Vanguard. “Eerie Enchantment: Dawson, New Mexico.” KOB4 News, published November 1, 2024. https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/eerie-enchantment-dawson-history/

Episode 86 In the early hours of November 1st, 1970, celebration turned to catastrophe when a fire tore through the Club Cinq-Sept near Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France. Within minutes, 146 young people were dead — trapped behind padlocked exits, a full-height turnstile, and flammable décor that turned the dance floor into a death trap. This wasn’t just a fire — it was the inevitable result of greed, negligence, and a system that valued profit over safety. In this episode, April breaks down how the building’s design doomed its occupants, why its owners never should’ve been allowed to open, and how French philosopher Guy Debord later used the tragedy to expose the rot beneath a complacent society. Because not every fire should keep burning — and some should have never started at all. Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  The Raven’s Eye. France’s Worst Discotheque Fire – The Horror of the Club 5-7 Disaster. YouTube, Sept 12 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ_C77jqfW4&t=9s Manic Manor Podcast. The Club Cinq-Sept Fire. YouTube, Mar 19 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lnQIkFvw7s Time Magazine. France: An Unusual Silence. Nov 16 1970. https://time.com/archive/6838296/france-an-unusual-silence/ Guy Debord. On the Fire of Saint-Laurent-du-Pont (1971). Translated from French; introduction by René Viénet. BBC News. 1970: Nightclub Inferno ‘Wipes Out a Generation’. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/1/newsid_2537000/2537937.stm Associated Press. 142 Are Killed by Fire in Locked Dance Hall in France. The New York Times, Nov 2 1970. https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/02/archives/142-are-killed-by-fire-in-locked-dance-hall-in-france-20-survive.html

Episode 85 Each October, the city of Detroit braced for three nights of chaos known as Devil’s Night—a grim tradition of arson and destruction that peaked in the 1980s with hundreds of fires set across the city. But behind the headlines and the flames lies a story of resilience, strategy, and a community that refused to burn. In this episode, we take you inside the rise and fall of Devil’s Night—how economic collapse, political scandal, and desperation turned mischief into mayhem, and how Detroit’s residents, firefighters, and city leaders fought back through the “Angels’ Night” campaign. We’ll trace the legacy of those fire-filled nights and ask: what happens when a city becomes known not for its industry, but for its inferno? Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Maciak, Barbara, PhD, MPH, et al. (1999). Preventing Halloween Arson in Urban Settings: A Model for Multisectoral Planning and Community Participation. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. JSTOR link Zaharan, Sammy, et al. (2019). Hidden Costs of Blight and Arson in Detroit: Evidence From a Natural Experiment in Devil’s Night. Ecological Economics, Volume 158, pp. 266–277. ScienceDirect link Anonymous (2021, October 31). The Devil’s Night: On the Ungovernable Spirit of Halloween. Ill Will Editions. illwill.com/devils-night Chafets, Ze’ev. (1990). Devil’s Night and Other True Tales of Detroit. Random House. LeDuff, Charlie. (2013). Detroit: An American Autopsy. Penguin Books.