Dark City: Touring the Hidden History of Famous & Forgotten Places
Every place has a shadow, every shadow a story. Join us, dark tourists, as we uncover the hidden true crimes, scandals, and hauntings lurking in hotspots and forgotten stops. We dive deep into the research and spill the historical tea with dark humor. No tourist fluff, no sanitized versions. Just the real and sometimes terrifying truths that will surprise even the locals.
Season 2: Phoenix is now streaming, with occasional detours to cities and towns with stories too good to wait.
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Genres: Travel, History, True Crime, Paranormal, Culture
Dark City: Touring the Hidden History of Famous & Forgotten Places
36. INFAMOUS: The Trunk Murders Pt 1
Phoenix, AZ | Three bold, trailblazing women share a quiet Phoenix duplex, until one boards a train to Los Angeles with the other two dead and hidden in her luggage. In 1931, Phoenix was a little-known desert town of 50,000, but this brutal, baffling case put it on the map and continues to raise questions nearly a century later.
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🌎 Website: www.darkcitypodcast.com
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🔎 Want to see how deep this story really goes? Our top sources for this episode include:
-Spirit of Arizona Tours in Phoenix, guided by Jarrod Riddle. https://spiritofarizonatours.com/
-Bommersbach, J. (2003). The trunk murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd (1st trade ed.). Poisoned Pen Press. (Original work published 1992)
-Worel, J. V., & Worel, S. L. (2015). Sammy and Sunny: The story of Hedvig Samuelson, murdered by Winnie Ruth Judd, and the story of Sunny Worel’s search for Sammy. [Self-published].
-Pela, R. L. (2014, September 24). Ruthless: A long-lost confession letter may finally tell the real story of Winnie Ruth Judd. Phoenix New Times. https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/ruthless-a-long-lost-confession-letter-may-finally-tell-the-real-story-of-winnie-ruth-judd-6657689
Additional Sources:
-Arizona Horizon Author Special. (2024, December 24). Season 2024, Episode 257: Criminal case of Winnie Ruth Judd; Arizona Parks and Monuments; T.J. Newman releases thriller. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/video/author-special-w388tp/
-Arizona Memory Project. (n.d.). Anne LeRoi photograph. https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/94283
-Arizona Memory Project. (n.d.). Sammy Samuelson photograph. https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/94272
-Bommersbach, J. (1983). The trunk murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd. (Referenced through AZ Memory Project collections). https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/94269#idx339296
-Jana Bommersbach, longtime journalist, author of 'Trunk Murderess' book, dies at 78. (2024, July 17). Azcentral. Ruelas, R. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2024/07/17/jana-bommersbach-longtime-arizona-journalist-and-author-dies-at-78/74433588007/
-KJZZ Phoenix. (2024). Robrt Pela talks about what he uncovered in the Winnie Ruth Judd case. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJcQh1KTPLk
-L.A. Not So Confidential. (2023, February 8). 127. Vintage Case: The Trunk Murders & Winnie Ruth Judd [Podcast episode]. Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/127-vintage-case-the-trunk-murders-winnie-ruth-judd/id1293032240?i=1000598648335
-Morbid. (n.d.). Winnie Ruth Judd: The Trunk Murderess [Podcast episode]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IAwzmcO7QI
-Trunk murderer wins big court settlement. (1982, December 31). UPI Archives. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/12/31/Trunk-murderer-wins-big-court-settlement/5662410158800/
-Valley 101: The legend of Winnie Ruth Judd, Phoenix's "Trunk Murderess". (2024). Azcentral. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O2UVPxHZBA
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👏 Special thanks to our talented partners:
Paolo Sbrighi for Musical Composition (instagram.com/paulosbrighi/)
Mario Cintra for Logo Design (instagram.com/alacarala/)