Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion – Q&A Aftershow

Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion – Q&A Aftershow

In this special Aftershow episode, Esther and Lorena answer listener questions and reflect on the powerful story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom.

Together, we unpack the psychology, the heartbreak, and the social forces behind one of Britain’s most infamous true crime cases. From Ruth’s volatile relationship with David Blakely to the justice system that sealed her fate, we dive deeper into what drove her — and what doomed her.

Plus, Esther reflects on Ruth’s final act, and whether she believed it was her only escape.

If you loved the Hanged series, this Aftershow gives you a chance to go behind the scenes, hear deeper insights, and join the conversation about love, obsession, and justice.


Highlights:

  • The emotional toll of toxic relationships and what they reveal about human behavior
  • Gender, class, and morality in 1950s Britain
  • How Ruth Ellis’s childhood and early adult experiences informed her choices about love, relationships, and obsession



✈️ Travel with Us to Mexico City! 🇲🇽

We’re taking Once Upon a Crime on the road—and you’re invited! In March 2026, join us for a fun, fabulous 4-day group trip to vibrant Mexico City. Explore incredible sights, savor delicious food, and connect with fellow true crime fans on an unforgettable adventure.

Reserve your spot today with just 25% down—but hurry, space is limited and will sell out fast!

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Support the Show:

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review. Your support helps us bring more stories like Ruth’s to life.


Sources:

A Fine Day for a Hanging: The Ruth Ellis Story, Carol Ann Lee, Mainstream Publishing, 2013.

The Last Woman to be Hanged: The Ruth Ellis Story, Robert Hancock, Seven Dials Publishing, 2020.

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

https://realcrimes.co.uk/ruth-ellis-jealousy-rejection-and-a-hanging/

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/ruth-ellis-real-story-last-woman-hanged-murder-a-cruel-love-b1141748.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20141204212735/http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/women/ellis/5.html

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/sep/12/ukcrime.claredyer

https://www.hampshirelive.news/news/history/woman-hanged-ruth-ellis-hampshire-4192091

https://www.crimemagazine.com/ruth-ellis-love-lust-and-death-gallows


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See a list of our sponsors and discount codes on our website:

https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/sponsors/


Links:

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Our Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast


✈️ Travel with Us to Mexico City! 🇲🇽

We’re taking Once Upon a Crime on the road—and you’re invited! In March 2026, join us for a fun, fabulous 4-day group trip to vibrant Mexico City. Explore incredible sights, savor delicious food, and connect with fellow true crimefans on an unforgettable adventure.

Reserve your spot today with just 25% down—but hurry, space is limited and will sell out fast!

🔗 Click here to learn more and book your spot now!

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Episoder(392)

Taunting Terrors: Ruth Finley and The Poet

Taunting Terrors: Ruth Finley and The Poet

A woman begins receiving harassing phone calls and letters from a stalker.  It would take years to discover who the anonymous man was, but when he was finally identified a shocking secret would be revealed.  Resources: Book: Little Girl Fly Away by Gene Stone Articles:   'Poet" makes life a living horror for Wichita Woman by Scott Kraft for AP in the Garden City Telegram, Jan 24, 1980 'Poet' strikes again and Wichita police still baffled by Scott Kraft for AP in Garden City Telegram, Feb 21, 1980 Harassed by an Unknown Author of Vicious Rhymes, Ruth Finley Confronts the Stranger Within Herself by Gene Stone for People Magazine, Sept. 5, 1988 Social Media: Once Upon a Time Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1730325570622505/  Patreon:  www.Patreon.com/OnceUponaCrime See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

30 Sep 201959min

Taunting Terrors: Susan Jaeger

Taunting Terrors: Susan Jaeger

A 7-year-old goes missing while on a family camping trip in 1973.  Anonymous calls would be placed demanding a ransom, but, the trail would grow cold until exactly one year later when the kidnapper would call her mother to brag about taking her daughter.   Resources: Documentary: The FBI Files, "Dark Woods", Season 5, Episode 13.  Articles:  Bible Verse May Have Spurred Meirhofer, The Daily Interlake, October 4, 1974 Small Town Terror by Joseph MacNamara for The New York Daily News, December 22, 1994 The Quality of Mercy by Antoinette Martin for The Detroit Free Press, August 21, 1994 Not Another Victim by Amy Linn for The Missoula Independent, November 5, 2015 Music Credits: Music from https://filmmusic.io"Floating Cities" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Links: Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime  CrimeCon CrowdSolve - https://www.crimecon.com/crowdsolve-seattleSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

23 Sep 201933min

Taunting Terrors: Little Gregory and The Crow

Taunting Terrors: Little Gregory and The Crow

In a small French village, a little boy goes missing and the family receives anonymous letters from a person taking responsibility who is dubbed "The Crow".  This strange case could be considered the Jon Benet Ramsey case of France.   Resources: Articles:  The Long Shadow of the Crow by Scott Kraft for The Los Angeles Times, December 9, 1993 Gregory by Anthony Davis for CrimeMagazine.com, April 30, 2009 The Murder of Little Gregory: The unsolved case that haunted France by John Henley for The Guardian, August 28, 2017 Links: Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime episode:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-episode-lets-taco-bout-crime-junkie-plagiarism/id1452118167?i=1000447888185 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

16 Sep 201935min

Taunting Terrors: Shari Faye Smith

Taunting Terrors: Shari Faye Smith

A young girl goes missing in South Carolina in 1985.  Soon after, her kidnapper would begin calling her family - but not to make demands for her safe return, but only to cruelly taunt them.  This is the first chapter in the series "Taunting Terrors".  Resources: Book: Murder in the Midlands: Larry Gene Bell and the 28 Days of Terror that Shook South Carolina by Rita Y. Shuler Articles:  South Carolina serial killer forced girl to write a farewell note and tormented his victims' families after sick spree in mid-80s by Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, November 15, 2014 Left Behind: Survivors of Capital Crimes Don't want the Victims to be Forgotten by Becky Beane for PFM.org Court Records:  United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. Larry Gene Bell v. Parker Evatt, Commissioner, South Carolina Department of Corrections, T. Travis Medlock, Attorney General, State of South Carolina, December 18, 1995 Social Media:  Twitter - @uponacrime Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime  Facebook and Instagram @onceuponacrimepod See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

9 Sep 201951min

Cursed Hollywood: The Poltergeist Curse

Cursed Hollywood: The Poltergeist Curse

A horror film franchise is seemingly cursed when it experiences tragedies including hauntings, serious accidents, fatal illness and murder.   Resources:  https://www.ranker.com/list/victims-of-the-poltergeist-curse/melissa-brinks  https://www.grunge.com/35883/bizarre-things-happened-set-poltergeist/  http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2015/12/22/the-shocking-history-of-the-poltergeist-curse/ http://www.iconsoffright.com/IV_Oliver.htm   https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/24/nyregion/crash-at-la-guardia-survivors-of-mangled-plane-recall-fire-water-terror.html http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/143731%7C0/Heather-O-Rourke/ https://www.statesman.com/article/20110202/NEWS/302029646See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

26 Aug 201945min

Cursed Hollywood: The Little Rascals

Cursed Hollywood: The Little Rascals

From 1922 to the 1940s over 40 child actors would be cast in a popular series of short films and many of them would later fall victim to strange accidents, illnesses, drug addiction, financial hardship, murder and suicide.  This is The Curse of The Little Rascals. Resources: Television Episode: E! True Hollywood Story: Curse of the Little Rascals Alfalfa's Mysterious Death - www.tvparty.com Convicted killer of "Little Rascal" dies - AP, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas, July 19, 2014See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

19 Aug 201940min

Cursed Hollywood: The Curse of Superman

Cursed Hollywood: The Curse of Superman

Every manifestation of the Man of Steel - comic books, television shows and films - has been marked by bad blood, shattered careers, tragic accidents and even murder.  This is the Curse of Superman.  Resources: George Reeves Revealed: An Inside Look at the Life and Tragic Death of Television's First Superman by Ed Gross for CloserWeekly.com, Feb. 27, 2019 Who Killed Superman? TheGuardian.com, Nov. 17, 2006See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

12 Aug 201948min

Cursed Hollywood: Diff'rent Strokes

Cursed Hollywood: Diff'rent Strokes

Three child actors become stars after being cast in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes in 1978.  But, all three would go on to live troubled adult lives including drug addiction, legal troubles and untimely death.  These are the stories of Todd Bridges, Dana Plato and Gary Coleman.  Resources: The Tragic Stars of Different Strokes, People Magazine, March 25, 1991 Gary Coleman dies at 42; child star of hit sitcom Diff'rent Strokes by Dennis McClellan for The Los Angeles Times, May 29, 2010.   The Overdose Death of Dana Plato by Frank Wilkins for ReelReviews.com.  Todd Bridges book: Killing Wills: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted, Simon and Schuster, 2010. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 Aug 201945min

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