FROM THE VAULT - Episode 291 - The Silk Road: Drugs, Data & The Dread Pirate Roberts

The sex-mad geisha who sliced off her lover’s genitals, strangled him with a kimono belt, and carved her name into his arm, is perhaps Japan’s most famous criminal of the 20th century.Today, Abe’s story is practically a part of Japanese folklore. So how did this brutal killer become an unlikely celebrity, feminist icon and star of stage and screen? What exactly is a geisha? And what does her story tell us about the mystifying world of Japanese sexuality today?Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

6 Feb 1h 16min

The brutal hatchet murders of Andrew and Abby Borden are still among the most infamous and hotly debated cases in true-crime history.Truly springing from the pages of your favourite murder mystery – with seemingly innocent housekeepers, “evil stepmothers”, and precocious ladies of luxury aplenty – there’s a lot of fact and a lot of fiction to wade through. Join us as we discover the real story behind the infamous Lizzie Andrew Borden, and the trial that swept the English-speaking world.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

30 Jan 56min

The world’s media painted Brock Turner as a promising young swimmer – an Olympic hopeful with everything to lose. Whereas his anonymous victim was identified only from the police report: a blackout-drunk girl, passed out by some bins at a frat party, claiming sexual assault.Turner’s expensive team of lawyers did everything they could to further debase and defame the victim’s testimony. But they hadn’t counted on coming up against Chanel Miller. Miller’s unflinching impact statement started a movement worldwide, and became a kind of rallying cry for survivors of sexual assault – and her book, ‘Know My Name’, reclaimed the narrative once and for all.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

23 Jan 1h 9min

Ellen Greenberg was murdered, or at the very least died under very suspicious circumstances. To us, and to almost everyone who has even so much as glanced at this case, that much is obvious. Yet as of this episode the state of Pennsylvania refuses to view the 27-year-olds death as anything but suicide.In our second of two parts on Ellen’s brutal murder we’re going to tell you how incompetent policing, shambolic coverups, and institutional corruption led to this case being put on ice. Despite clear signs that evidence was missed, misplaced, or downright removed.Donate to Justice for Ellen here.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

16 Jan 1h 3min

With the release of Gypsy Rose Blancharde’s memoir just around the corner, we thought it was high time we revisited the full story, from Episode 26 of RedHanded. And, to hear our thoughts on the book, check out this week’s Under the Duvet on Patreon.com/redhanded.--Things aren't always what they seem...To the world Dee Dee Blancharde was the perfect mum. She dedicated her life as a single mother to taking care of her incredibly ill and disabled child. But one night Dee Dee was brutally murdered, and what was revealed shocked the world. It turned out that her daughter Gypsy had never been sick at all.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

13 Jan 1h 15min

If you believe the official report, Ellen Greenberg stabbed herself: at least 20 times in the back, neck, stomach, chest, and through her scalp, hard enough to pierce her own brain. And only after all that – say the authorities – did she plunge the knife four inches into her own stomach.In 2011, despite blindingly obvious evidence to the contrary, Philadelphia’s police ruled the 27-year-old schoolteacher’s death as a suicide. And – thanks to a few suspicious decisions and the very shoddiest of shoddy police work – almost every chance of ever securing justice for Ellen was quite literally scrubbed away.Donate to Justice for Ellen here.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

9 Jan 59min

As RedHanded takes a festive pause, we've picked two of our favourite Patreon Bonus episodes from 2024. To get a full-length, bonus episode of RedHanded every month – plus weekly video episodes of Under the Duvet and much more besides – head to Patreon.com/redhanded and sign up. Or, head to patreon.com/redhanded/gift to buy a membership for someone else!--For our second upcycle, we dive into the dark and twisted tale of Elizabeth Báthory: Hungary’s infamous ‘Blood Countess’. Was she, as the spooky stories claim, a sadistic vampiress who sacrificed virgins in her quest for eternal youth? Or could she have been an innocent victim of a medieval smear campaign?Join us as we unravel the truth behind the eerie myths surrounding one of history’s most bloodthirsty figures.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 Jan 35min