Podcast
Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes
Hosted by Crime House · EN
Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes is a true crime and conspiracy theories podcast about the people who take belief too far and the deadly consequences that follow.
Hosted by Vanessa Richardson, two weekly episodes unpack real stories of murderous cults, criminal cover-ups, mass manipulation, and twisted conspiracies. From Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate to CIA mind control experiments, presidential assassinations, and the Octopus Murders. This is true crime at the intersection of faith, fear and manipulation.
Follow now for new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This is a Crime House Original, powered by PAVE Studios.
68episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
CRIME: Idaho Murders
Yesterday00:40:55Summary readyIn November 2022, four University of Idaho students, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, were stabbed to death in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, was a PhD criminology student who had been circling their house for months and who pled guilty without ever explaining why. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the evidence, the investigation that led to Kohberger's arrest, and the unanswered questions that still surround the case. When a killer offers no motive, what does justice really look like for the families left behind? Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryCRIME: Lizzie Borden
4d ago00:45:07Summary readyOn August 4th, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were found hacked to death in their Fall River, Massachusetts home, and their daughter Lizzie became the prime suspect almost overnight. In an era when wealthy young women were above suspicion, the case exposed a fractured family, a botched investigation, and a media frenzy that convicted Lizzie long before she ever saw a courtroom. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson revisits one of America's most infamous unsolved murders, the evidence that pointed toward Lizzie, and the questions that still linger more than 130 years later. Was justice served, or did the real killer walk free? Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryCULT: The Fall River Cult Murders
6d ago00:45:15Summary readyIn 1979 and 1980, three young women, Doreen Levesque, Barbara Raposa, and Karen Marsden, were brutally murdered in Fall River, Massachusetts, in killings linked to a small satanic cult led by pimp Carl Drew. Investigators built their case around a web of unreliable witnesses, psychic confessions, and a star witness whose story kept changing. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the Fall River cult murders, the fractured investigation, and how satanic panic shaped both the narrative and the courtroom. The trials sent some perpetrators to prison, but left at least one murder officially unsolved, and questions about who truly led the violence remain unanswered. Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryCONSPIRACY THEORY: The Missing Scientists
1w ago00:39:29Summary readySince 2022, at least thirteen people connected to American scientific and defense research have died or disappeared under circumstances that have drawn scrutiny from the FBI, Congress, and the White House. Some cases have clear explanations — a revenge killing, a system failure, a man lost to grief — but others remain genuinely unsolved, with no confirmed sightings and no answers for the families left behind. Vanessa Richardson examines every name on the list, the skeptics who see pattern-seeking over evidence, and the real human cost when tragedy becomes a conspiracy theory. This episode includes discussion of suicide. Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryCRIME: The Bigfoot Murders
2w ago00:44:00Summary readyIn 1993, David Holthouse was working on a remote cannabis farm in California's Emerald Triangle when two panicked men burst into his cabin claiming three workers had been killed in the fields—torn apart by Bigfoot. Holthouse fled the next morning and spent 25 years trying to forget what he heard. But as an investigative journalist, he couldn't let it go. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson follows Holthouse's search for the truth behind the alleged murders. His investigation takes him deep into the Emerald Triangle, a region known as "The Black Hole" for its staggering rate of disappearances and unsolved crimes. What he uncovers isn't a cryptid tale—it's a story of racial violence, greed, and terror in one of America's most lawless communities, where the legend of Bigfoot was weaponized to mask something far more sinister. Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryCULT: The Golden Dawn
2w ago00:44:36Summary readyIn the late 19th century, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn emerged in Britain as a secretive society devoted to ritual magic, mysticism, and hidden knowledge. Drawing in artists, writers, and intellectuals, including figures like Aleister Crowley, the group promised spiritual enlightenment through a structured system of occult teachings. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the origins of the Golden Dawn, its belief system, and the influential members who helped shape its legacy. As the order grew, internal rivalries and power struggles began to fracture the group, exposing tensions beneath its secretive surface. The Golden Dawn remains one of the most influential occult organizations in modern history, leaving a lasting impact on mysticism, magic, and esoteric traditions. Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryCRIME: Aimee Semple McPherson
3w ago00:45:00Summary readyIn 1926, famed evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson vanished from a California beach, sparking a nationwide search and fears that she had been kidnapped or killed. Weeks later, she reappeared with a dramatic story of abduction, claiming she had escaped from her captors in the desert. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson, the investigation into her claims, and the intense public reaction that followed. As authorities began to question her account, conflicting evidence and witness testimony fueled suspicions that the kidnapping may have been staged. The case became a media sensation, blurring the line between crime, scandal, and spectacle, and leaving behind one of the most controversial and debated stories of the early 20th century. Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryCULT: Patty Hearst & the SLA
3w ago00:44:24Summary readyIn the 1970s, a small, radical group known as the Symbionese Liberation Army emerged in the United States, promoting a mix of revolutionary politics, anti-capitalist ideology, and violent action. The group gained national attention after the kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst, a crime that quickly escalated into a media spectacle. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the origins of the Symbionese Liberation Army, its leadership and belief system, and the events that transformed it from a fringe movement into a national headline. As the group carried out robberies and issued political statements, questions grew about coercion, indoctrination, and the true nature of Hearst’s involvement. The story of the SLA remains one of the most controversial intersections of cult dynamics, political extremism, and crime in modern American history. Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryCONSPIRACY THEORY: The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping
3w ago00:52:45Summary readyIn 1932, the infant son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped from his family’s home in New Jersey, setting off a massive search that captivated the nation. As the investigation unfolded, the case drew unprecedented media attention, intense public scrutiny, and a wave of speculation about who was responsible. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the Lindbergh kidnapping, the evidence that led to the arrest of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, and the trial that followed. While authorities presented the case as a straightforward crime, others questioned the handling of the investigation, the reliability of key evidence, and whether all aspects of the case were fully explored. Decades later, the Lindbergh kidnapping remains one of the most debated cases in American history, with lingering theories about possible accomplices, investigative missteps, and whether the full truth was ever uncovered. Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryCRIME: The Saint Who Became a Monster, Gilles de Rais
4w ago00:44:28Summary readyIn 15th century France, Gilles de Rais rose to prominence as a decorated nobleman and military commander who fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years’ War. But after her death, his life took a dark turn, and rumors began to circulate about disturbing activities taking place on his estates. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson examines the rise and fall of Gilles de Rais, the investigation that led to his arrest, and the shocking allegations of murder, abuse, and occult practices that emerged during his trial. As testimony mounted, the case revealed a series of crimes that stood in stark contrast to his status and reputation. His story remains one of the most infamous and unsettling cases in medieval history, a chilling example of how power, secrecy, and violence can collide behind closed doors. Head over to our Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Conspiracytheoriescultscrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary