Advertise on podcast: Nightmares

When friends of Jaime Feden called for a welfare check, they feared something terrible had happened to her. What police uncovered instead was a web of lies, manipulation, and a sinister plot that ended in the Nevada desert. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

February 24, 2016, in Kingston, Laura Buckingham had built what seemed like a picture-perfect life, until a bitter custody battle began to unravel it. Behind the façade, a plan took shape, one that involved a disgraced sniper, a hired killer, and a price tag on a father’s life. But as the plot moved forward, not everyone was who they seemed, and one decision changed everything. In the end, the most dangerous person in the room wasn’t the one anyone expected. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

A man named Jeffrey Freeman was found dead in his own home. The most disturbing aspect of this case isn't just the manner of his death; it's what was occurring inside the house before anyone was aware of it. There was a hidden life, a secret relationship, and nearly 18 hours passed before anyone called for help. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

On September 25, 2014, an ordinary shift at Vaughn Foods in Moore, Oklahoma exploded into chaos after a workplace dispute took a horrifying turn. As panic spread through the factory and terrified employees fled for their lives, the violence unfolding inside pointed to something personal, deliberate, and far from over. By the time the work day ended, those who survived would be left trying to understand how one man’s grievance became one of the most gruesome attacks the town had ever seen. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

A fugitive on the run takes a woman hostage. Ashley Smith is not only fighting for her life, but also trying to take back control of it. To make it through, she must force a killer to face what he has done and finally face the past she has been avoiding. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

On a quiet evening in Wichita, Kansas, flashing police lights suddenly flood a residential street. When 28-year-old Andrew Finch steps onto his front porch to see what’s happening, he’s shot by police responding to a reported emergency. In the days that follow, investigators start uncovering a strange chain of events that stretches far beyond that neighborhood and raises troubling questions about how a single moment can spiral into tragedy. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

On April 18, 2019, 57-year-old Wilfred Guzman was at home when a familiar visit turned into a savage fight for survival. By the time police forced their way inside Apartment 16, they found blood in every room and signs that the attack had unfolded with whatever was within reach: kitchen knives, forks, spoons, even a small television. Detectives quickly pieced together what happened. What they couldn’t understand was how an ordinary late-night visit had turned so vicious. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

A plot to find a million dollars in buried fortune ends in unthinkable violence. Mary was caught in the middle of it all. She shouldn’t have survived the desert, but when she did, she led the authorities to a scene of deliberate mayhem. At the center of it all is Adam Nayeri, and a plan built on a belief that was never real. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

In November 2012, freshly divorced auto shop manager Dave Kroupa thought he was navigating the casual dating scene in Omaha, Nebraska until one short relationship ended and the stalking began. For the next three years, the messages grew more violent, more personal, and more terrifying, all coming from a woman who refused to let him go. But as detectives dug into the case, they uncovered a truth that forced Dave to confront a chilling possibility: the nightmare stalking him had been much closer than he ever imagined. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

On a quiet January morning in rural Pennsylvania, Rhonda Smith went to work at her church and never came home. What started as a shocking act of violence inside a place of worship slowly unraveled into something far more personal. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered whispered jealousies, blurred boundaries, and a devotion that may have crossed a dangerous line. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

On March 12, 2000, in Spearfish, South Dakota, nineteen-year-old Chester Allan Poage agrees to a night that seems harmless… until it isn’t. In a secluded pocket of the Black Hills, it’s hard for a trusting kid like Chester to tell the difference between friends and predators. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

In October 2013, fourteen-year-old Abby Hernandez vanished on her walk home from school in rural New Hampshire. Months passed, searches faded, and a letter arrived that changed how the public understood her disappearance. When Abby finally came home, the truth forced a reckoning with certainty, judgment, and what survival actually looks like when escape is not possible. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

When an 83-year-old woman is found dead inside her quiet Old Greenwich home, investigators start piecing together the final months of her life, and the unraveling of her son, Erik Soelberg. What first appears to be a private family tragedy reveals a disturbing descent shaped by isolation, certainty, and a voice that never challenged his fears. This episode examines how belief hardens, reality fractures, and how one ordinary house became the setting for an irreversible outcome. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

It's March 2006 in Villa Park Illinois and nineteen-year-old Rose thinks she’s found an escape, until a woman vanishes and the search starts pointing somewhere darker. As detectives close in, Rose is forced to replay every late-night call, every story, every “coincidence,” realizing the truth was being rehearsed right in front of her. By the time the case breaks, Rose understands she was never just a witness… Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

Thirteen-year-old Thad Phillips fell asleep on his couch—and woke up in a nightmare. Trapped in a decaying house with a smiling teen and sinister intentions, he would spend two harrowing days fighting to survive when all hope seemed lost. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com