Morbid Podcast: Emma Cunningham and the Murder of Harvey Burdell

Hosts: Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
Episode Date: December 1, 2025
Summary by Podcast Summarizer

Episode Overview

In this riveting episode, Ash and Alaina dive deep into the sensational, twist-filled 1857 murder case of Dr. Harvey Burdell, and the scandalous exploits of Emma Cunningham. Blending grim true crime, weird history, and their signature comedic camaraderie, the duo traces the tangled web of 19th-century New York City society, alleged fraud, gendered prejudice, and one woman's desperate pursuit of survival and status. From audacious forgeries to placenta cupboards and sword canes, they serve up both the facts and the absurdities of the era, providing plenty of laughs (and gasps) along the way.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Setting the Stage

• Emma Augusta Hempstead Cunningham: Born in 1818 Manhattan to a devout Methodist family with strict values (piety, thrift, restraint), Emma defiant of her upbringing, craved comfort and luxury.

  “She really wanted a life of comfort. She wanted a life of opulence, and she wanted a life of luxury. Honey, who can blame her?” — Alaina [08:18]

• Marriage & Family Life: At 19, Emma marries George Cunningham, a much older, non-Methodist, and bootlegger (devastating her parents). She has five children before George’s repeated financial failures and eventual death leave her alone and desperate in her mid-thirties.

  “Out of desperation, George decided to make one last play for fortune... Unfortunately, he returned to Brooklyn less than a year later, broke, and having failed at yet another business venture.” — Alaina [11:56]

2. The Hunt for Security & Social Status

• Widowhood & The Search for a Husband: With little support, Emma aims to “rejoin the upper class in Manhattan.” She sets her sights on wealthy, reputable men, but her status as a widow with five kids makes marriage prospects scarce.
• Enter Dr. Harvey Burdell: Well-off dentist, charming on the surface yet "a scoundrel" and notorious for cheating creditors, swindling business partners, and absolutely refusing marriage.

3. Emma and Harvey’s Relationship

• Dysfunctional Dynamics: After a period as his boarder and confidante, Emma becomes Burdell’s lover. A Saratoga Springs trip in 1855 leads to Emma’s pregnancy, but Harvey refuses to marry her and—according to Emma—forces an abortion on her.

  “He insisted on examining her himself. And I was like, you’re a dentist. I don’t have teeth down there, so... And after confirming the pregnancy, he, quote, produced an abortion with his own hands. Oh, yeah.” — Alaina [28:22]

• Character Portraits: The hosts paint Harvey as both charismatic and deeply troubled—abandoned in childhood, his relationships marred by coldness and control, treating Emma as a convenience rather than a partner.

4. Escalating Conflict & Burdell’s Murder

• Relationship Deterioration: As Emma pressures for marriage and security and Harvey pursues other women (including his cousin—ew), tensions escalate, with fights over missing papers and accusations.
• Foreshadowing: On January 30, Emma learns Harvey plans to sell their home, reportedly remarks, “He better be careful. He may not live to sign the papers.” — [33:29]

[34:00] Murder Discovery

Harvey is found brutally stabbed (15 wounds, possible ligature strangulation) in his home office. Blood evidence, lack of robbery, and a blood trail set the stage for a scandalous investigation.

• Clue-Like Mystery: The episode teems with dramatic, even slapstick, details—e.g., the search for a “sword cane” as the potential murder weapon, and the quick leap in public opinion to pin the murder on the suspicious widow and her supposed co-conspirators.

5. The Investigation and Trial

• Coroner’s Inquest: Testimony focuses on Emma’s tumultuous relationship with Harvey, her possible involvement in a fake marriage (she presents a likely-forged certificate), and evidence of prior violence. Shop girls remember Emma and accomplice buying a dagger close to the murder date.

  “A man and woman asked about purchasing a sword cane... but after viewing what the store had available, the woman claimed she needed something much shorter and sturdier.” — Alaina [44:49]

• Public Villainization: The 19th-century press eviscerates Emma, focused on her looks and “moral character,” rather than evidence.

  “They described her as not handsome, rude, and scarcely good looking. Oh, my.” — Alaina [40:06]

• Trial Revelations:

  • Emma, John Eckel (boarder), and George Snodgrass (another boarder) are charged.
  • The prosecution weaves a motive of greedy widowhood, while the defense spotlights Harvey’s cruelty and the lack of direct evidence.
  • The key detail of the killer being left-handed versus right-handed is hotly debated, with dueling expert witnesses.

6. Absurd Schemes & The Baby Con

[63:08] Emma’s Baby Fraud

• Post-Acquittal Shenanigans: With the murder trial falling apart (Emma is acquitted after 30 minutes of jury deliberation), she launches another con: to secure Harvey’s estate, Emma and her team fake a pregnancy and arrange for a baby to be “born” at precisely the time Harvey’s supposed heir would be expected.

  • The prosecutor’s office sets a sting; they “mark” a baby from Bellevue’s indigent ward and catch Emma red-handed, complete with fake afterbirth made with lamb’s blood and a placenta hidden in the cupboard.

    “Later that evening... officers waited outside and listened as Emma moaned in a theatrical recreation of giving birth.” — Ash [66:38] “They also covered a set of sheets with some of the blood and got a placenta... which they put in the cupboard for safekeeping.” — Alaina [67:40]

• Public Ridicule: The baby’s real mother later exhibits it at P.T. Barnum’s Museum, which the hosts roast as part of a running gag (“Stop putting babies in circus museums!”).

7. Aftermath & Legacy

• Emma’s Downfall: While avoiding fraud charges (thanks to a clever lawyer), Emma is humiliated, loses her bid for the estate, flees New York, and eventually dies in obscurity.
• Who Killed Harvey Burdell? Officially, the murder remains unsolved, with debate over whether Emma could have done it, given conflicting forensic opinions and the victim’s multitude of enemies.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Harvey’s Rejection of Marriage:

  "He remarked to a friend that he, quote, would not marry the best woman living." — Alaina [31:34]

• Courtroom Drama:

  "While the prosecution had taken more than a week to present their case… the jury returned just 30 minutes later, and they delivered a verdict of not guilty." — Alaina [61:36]

• Absurd Details:

  “Afterbirth prepared with lamb’s blood… placenta in the cupboard for safekeeping.” — Alaina & Ash [67:31]

• Meta Commentary:

  “They described her as not handsome, rude, and scarcely good looking. Oh, my. The way they just used to read a bitch to filch back then.” — Alaina & Ash [40:06]

• Pure Comedy:

  “Stop putting babies in circus museums!” — Ash & Alaina [71:01, 76:19]

Important Timestamps

• Emma’s Childhood and Values – [05:30]
• Marriage to George Cunningham & Family Struggle – [09:07]
• Relationship with Dr. Burdell Overview – [16:05]
• The Saratoga Trip & Pregnancy Scandal – [20:25 – 28:22]
• Murder of Harvey Burdell – [34:00]
• Shop Girl Testimony about Weapons – [43:31, 44:49]
• Media Slander & Courtroom Drama – [40:06, 57:39]
• The Baby Fraud Sting Operation – [63:08 – 69:32]
• Final Verdict & Postscript – [61:36 – 76:12]
• Comedy Peak: Museum Babies & Placenta Cabinets – [71:01, 76:13]

Tone & Style

The hosts’ irreverent, conversational approach transforms archival true crime into a theatrical, sometimes slapstick, and always engrossing saga. They punctuate the lurid details of Emma’s saga with 21st-century analogies, personal confessions, and recurring in-jokes (e.g., sword canes, placenta cabinets, “scarcely good looking,” and museum baby protests). At the same time, their research and clarity make the convoluted plot accessible, even for those new to the case or period.

In Conclusion

Ash and Alaina deliver a “lighthearted nightmare” of a story: a tornado of ambition, desperation, and Victorian scandal that feels both outlandish and oddly contemporary. Emma Cunningham emerges as a flawed but resourceful antiheroine, caught in the gears of a patriarchal, gossip-hungry society—and possibly in her own web of deception. Whether listeners seek shocking facts, wild history, or just a good laugh about 19th-century placenta storage, this episode hits the mark.

For true crime fans and lovers of historical weirdness, this episode is not to be missed!