In November 1978, more than 900 people died in Jonestown, Guyana, in one of the darkest tragedies in modern history. At the center of it all was Jim Jones, the charismatic and deeply manipulative leader of the Peoples Temple.

In this episode of Hard Times & True Crimes, we take a look at Jim Jones, the rise of the People's Temple, the move to Jonestown, and the disturbing events that unfolded on November 18, 1978.

We'll explore how Jones gained power over his followers, the warning signs that were missed, the visit from Congressman Leo Ryan, and how a community that had once been presented as a utopian experiment became the scene of a mass death that shocked the world.

Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Sources:

Book: Fleming, Candace. Death In The Jungle.

https://www.magellantv.com/articles/jim-jones-the-twisted-story-of-the-man-behind-the-jonestown-massacre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

At 10 Rillington Place in Notting Hill, Timothy and Beryl Evans lived upstairs with their baby daughter, Geraldine.

Downstairs lived their quiet, helpful neighbors—John and Ethel Christie.

When Beryl and Geraldine were found strangled, Timothy Evans was arrested, tried, convicted of his daughter’s murder, and sentenced to death.

On March 9, 1950, 25-year-old Timothy Evans was hanged.

But three years later, another tenant at 10 Rillington Place found the bodies of three women hidden in the walls.

As police began tearing apart the house and searching the garden, they found more.

Among the dead was Ethel Christie—the wife of the man who had been one of the prosecution’s most important witnesses against Timothy Evans.

Sources & Further Reading

• Thorley, Peter. Inside 10 Rillington Place: The Untold Horror of My Life with a Serial Killer. Mirror Books, 2020.

• Ten Rillington Place — Ludovic Kennedy, 1961

• Trials of Timothy John Evans and John Reginald Halliday Christie — edited by F. Tennyson Jesse, 1957

• John Christie of Rillington Place: Biography of a Serial Killer — Jonathan Oates

• The Two Killers of Rillington Place — John Eddowes

• The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place — Kate Summerscale

• The Brabin Inquiry / Report of the Inquiry into the Case of Timothy John Evans

• UK Parliamentary records and historical documents relating to the Timothy Evans case and his 1966 posthumous pardon

• British newspaper coverage of the Evans and Christie investigations, trials, executions, and subsequent inquiries

• Newspapers.com historical newspaper archive

• Find a Grave memorial records

• Contemporary newspaper reports from 1949–1953

• Archival photographs, court reporting, and historical materials relating to 10 Rillington Place and postwar London

Hard Times & True Crimes

Hosted by Darlene Hildreth & Melody Gwyn

Narration by Curtis Hildreth

Music by Isaiah Hildreth

Some aspects of the Timothy Evans case remain disputed. Where historical sources, testimony, confessions, or later investigations conflict, we have attempted to distinguish established facts from allegations and competing interpretations.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

Andrea Yates became one of the most infamous mothers in American true crime history when she drowned her five children in her Houston bathtub in 2001. But the story of Andrea Yates is far more complicated than the headlines suggest.

In this episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we examine Andrea Yates, the deaths of her five children, her history of severe mental illness and postpartum psychosis, and the circumstances surrounding this devastating tragedy.

We also take a closer look at some of the questions that continue to surround the case. Was religion or having multiple children responsible for what happened? What role did Andrea's husband, Rusty Yates, play? How much responsibility should be placed on a mother suffering from severe mental illness? And how do we distinguish contributing circumstances from actual causes?

Following the Lindsay Clancy trial?

The ongoing Lindsay Clancy trial has brought renewed attention to postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, maternal mental illness, and the difficult question of responsibility when a mother kills her children. The Andrea Yates case provides important context for understanding these difficult and often misunderstood issues.

This episode is not a comparison of the two women or their cases. Rather, the Lindsay Clancy trial provides a timely reason to revisit Andrea Yates and have a deeper conversation about postpartum mental illness, motherhood, family responsibility, and the complicated circumstances surrounding these tragedies.

If you or someone you love is struggling, these resources are available to help.

• Postpartum Support International (PSI) 1-800-944-4773 call or text and for Spanish 971-203-7773
• National Maternal Mental Health Hotline 1-833-852-6262
• Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - 988 You do not have to be suicidal to contact 988. It is free and confidential.

Narrator: Curtis Hildreth

Intro & Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Sources:

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/andrea-yates

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Yates

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1214877958/?match=1&terms=yates%20andrea&search-id=ede4dca4-924e-4217-9f74-15c43f916ea7&search-rank=8

Michael Woroniecki Response: https://michaelworoniecki.com/regarding-andrea-yates/

https://web.archive.org/web/20130522051607/http://crime.about.com/od/current/p/andreayates.htm

newspapers.com

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

For listeners of history, WWII, and true crime podcasts.

In this episode, we examine the lives of Irma Grese, an SS Aufseherin (guard) at Ravensbrück and Auschwitz-Birkenau known for extraordinary cruelty toward prisoners, and Sophie Scholl, a member of the White Rose resistance group executed for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets at the University of Munich. Both women came of age under the Third Reich. Both were tried and executed by the same system. Their choices — and their legacies — could not be more different.

⚠️ This episode contains graphic historical content related to the Holocaust, including descriptions of violence and death. Listener discretion advised.

Credits: Music by Isaiah Hildreth Narrated by Curtis Hildreth

Sources:

• Newspapers.com (historical trial coverage and contemporary reporting)
• A Noble Treason: The Story of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Revolt by Richard Hanser
• Irma Grese and Auschwitz by Jerry Larson and Erik Clark

If this episode moved you, please leave a rating and review — it helps more listeners find the show.

Historical content presented for educational purposes.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

The murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. remain two of the most infamous unsolved cases in music history. Decades later, questions still linger: Were the murders connected? Was it really East Coast vs. West Coast? And what evidence has emerged over the years?

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the lives of Tupac and Biggie, the legendary rivalry that captivated the hip-hop world, the events leading up to their deaths, and the investigations that followed. We separate fact from fiction, explore the conspiracy theories that refuse to die, and examine what we actually know today.

Whether you're a longtime hip-hop fan or simply fascinated by unsolved true crime, this episode uncovers the twists, suspects, and unanswered questions behind two of the most shocking murders in entertainment history.

Narrator: Jay (Jericho Stone) Robinson - Darlene's Brother

You can find his music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6K5x7XzQuGQdmmrEWPgdzC?si=DZ0zZpx-RdCxy9XPrEvY4A&utm_source=copy-link

Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Sources:

Roku Doc: 2002 Documentary - Biggie and Tupac - Nick Broomfield

Podcast: Stuff You Should Know Podcast, The Ballad of Biggie and Tupac, Jan 22, 2026

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupac_Shakur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Notorious_B.I.G.

https://www.google.com/search?q=when+did+tupac+get+his+thug+life+tattoo&sca_esv=f39b2fa0409e051b&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS1055US1057&sxsrf=APpeQnvDa6VOt8Sh_xVOZEOf3Calk-rSCQ%3A1783376046420&ei=rihMapiZGcfn5NoPpYmyqAE&biw=1366&bih=599&ved=0ahUKEwiYqP29ib-VAxXHM1kFHaWEDBUQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=when+did+tupac+get+his+thug+life+tattoo&gs_lp=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_C6BgYIARABGAGSBwYxLjM3LjGgB53jAbIHBjAuMzcuMbgHoCvCBwkyLTE2LjIyLjHIB_0CgAgB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:d8649a34,vid:sBoKzkTiKIc,st:0

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

In 1948, eleven-year-old Sally Horner was kidnapped by Frank La Salle after he pretended to be an FBI agent and threatened to send her to reform school.

For twenty-one months, he took her across the country, convincing others she was his daughter while she endured manipulation, isolation, and abuse.

Although Sally was eventually rescued, her story was largely forgotten—even as another name became famous.

Sources

Books

• Sarah Weinman, The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World
• Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

Primary & Historical Sources

• Contemporary newspaper coverage (1948–1952), including The Camden Courier-Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, Associated Press, and other regional newspapers.
• Court records and legal proceedings involving Frank La Salle.
• FBI historical records and publicly available case information.

Online Resources

• Find a Grave – Florence “Sally” Horner Memorial
• Wikipedia – Kidnapping of Sally Horner
• Newspapers.com (archival newspaper research)

Photo: Sally Horner on a swing, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Narration: Curtis Hildreth
Original Music, Mixing & Mastering: Isaiah Hildreth

Skip the grocery store and support local North Carolina farmers. Shop the Randolph County Food Hub, operated by the local nonprofit NC Rooted Community Agriculture.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

In this episode, we discuss The Devil in Pew Number 7 by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo, a powerful true story set in rural North Carolina that explores tragedy, faith, fear, and forgiveness.

We dive into the shocking events that unfolded in the small community of Sellerstown, NC, the devastating impact they had on one family, and the remarkable journey that followed. This story raises difficult questions about evil, resilience, and what it really means to forgive when the unthinkable happens.

Sources:

Alonzo, Rebecca Nichols, and Robert G. DeMoss. The Devil in Pew Number Seven. Tyndale House Publishers, 2010.

Today's Nashville episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wbxLxuR6auk?si=IgOXrK2CifQ4T-ai

Dr. Phil Show Behind the Scenes: https://youtu.be/ty0H2z7Quys?si=1YO5fdf8gPHYPaiZ

Dr. Phil Clip on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SYVls2tCVtU?si=va37N_d5GBfzH9-J

Intro Music: Sweet By and By - played by Sherri White (Darlene's mother)

Intro and Outro: Curtis Hildreth

Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC