RedHanded

ShortHand: Wolfgang Beltracchi - The Greatest Art Fraud in History?

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Tens of millions of dollars flowed onto the canvas from the tip of Wolfgang Beltracchi’s brush. His talent? Unquestionable. His methods? Perfect. H...

Michael X - Part Two: The Murder of Gale Benson | #446

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Mystery, mayhem, and death followed Michael X all the way back to Trinidad.Hacked to death and left in shallow graves, the bodies of Gale Benson and ...

Shorthand: The 2014 Celebrity ‘iCloud Leaks’

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Intimate and explicit images of A-list celebrities – that’s what the world woke up to on the 31st of August 2014. “The Fappening” saw thousan...

Michael X - Part One: British Black Power | #445

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Malcolm X was a true revolutionary, Michael X was an imposter.This con man realised that politics was a lot easier than poetry and rose to the top of...

ShortHand: Would You Survive The Titanic?

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On the night of 14th April 1912, the ‘unsinkable’ RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank into the icy depths of the Atlantic Ocean – killing al...

Shorthand: Helios 522 - ‘The Ghost Plane’

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When two fighter jets came to check on the unresponsive Helios Flight 522, they were stunned at what they saw: all 115 passengers, lying motionless i...

GILGO UPDATE: Rex Heuermann Pleads Guilty

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The lead suspect in the Gilgo Beach Killings - 62 year old former architect Rex Heuermann - has now pleaded guilty.So, with a trial off the table in ...

Nicholas Rossi: The Disguised Fugitive who Faked his Death | #444

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When Rhode Island native Nicholas Rossi found himself wanted by the FBI and Interpol for a string of assaults and large-scale frauds, he didn’t jus...

FROM THE VAULT - Warren Jeffs & the FLDS (Part 2)

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

With Netflix's new documentary on the modern fundamentalist Mormon church coming out today – we thought it was the perfect time to revisit our epis...

FROM THE VAULT - Warren Jeffs & the FLDS: Cult Power, Mormon Polygamy, and Child Abuse (Part 1)

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

With Netflix's new documentary on the modern fundamentalist Mormon church coming out today – we thought it was the perfect time to revisit our epis...

ShortHand: The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A relentless barrage of oil that killed anything in its path, the disaster that befell the Deepwater Horizon oil rig took the lives of eleven crew me...

ShortHand: The Holy Grail

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Holy Grail is the most sought-after object in human history. The legend goes that the grail could bring whoever finds it unbelievable power, infl...

Kouri Richins – Part Two: The ‘Author' Who Killed with Fentanyl | #443

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Kouri Richins brazenly murdered her husband Eric, lacing a drink with a lethal dose of fentanyl, hoping to cash in on his business, home, and life in...

ShortHand: Did Jesus Exist?

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Jesus of Nazareth: Messiah, Emmanuel, King of Kings, and probably the most widely recognisable figure in human history. So why do so many people beli...

ShortHand: Where is Lars Mittank?

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sudden mental break or hunted by a pack of mysterious men? The disappearance of 28-year-old Lars Mittank has left authorities and armchair sleuths al...

Kouri Richins – Part One: The Children’s Author Who Killed Her Husband | #442

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After Kouri Richins’ husband Eric died suddenly in what was ruled to be a tragic accidental overdose, the Utah mum bravely published a children’s...

ShortHand: Wallis Simpson – The Nearly-Nazi-Queen of England

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

They said she'd mastered a Chinese sex technique that could "make a matchstick feel like a Havana cigar". Top Nazi Joachim Von Ribbentrop allegedly s...

ShortHand: Kinky Sex in '50s America - The Kinsey Scale

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

“The Kinsey Reports” – Alfred Kinsey’s 1950s studies into how people like to have sex, and with who – did a lot more than ruffle a few feat...

The Kidnapping of Chloe Ayling: Sex Slave or Scammer? | #441

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 2017, British glamour model Chloe Ayling went through a terrifying ordeal: abducted from a fake modelling shoot in Italy, held hostage for days by...

ShortHand: King Ferdinand VII – History’s Biggest D**k

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

As long as a walking stick. A billiards cue. Thin as a nub of wax at the base, thick as a man’s fist at the tip.These are just some of the eye-wate...

ShortHand: Aleister Crowley - The Beast 666

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

With great esoteric power, comes great esoteric responsibility.Aleister Crowley was considered many things, a poet, an artist, a master of the dark a...

The McStay Family Murders - Part Two | #440

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Bodies unearthed in the desert seemed like the final piece in the puzzle for McStay Family Murders. However, the four years that had passed left more...

ShortHand: The Viper Room & The Death of River Phoenix

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In October 1993, River Phoenix crashed out of Johnny Depp’s exclusive club, fell onto the pavement, and died. An hour earlier, the 23-year-old risi...

ShortHand: Princess Anastasia - The Russian Royal Imposter

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The year was 1917, and revolution was in the air in Russia. After sustaining heavy losses in WW1, the fall of the House of Romanov seemed inevitable....

The McStay Family Murders - Part One | #439

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How does a family completely vanish? That was the question that plagued investigators after Michael McStay reported his brother Joe McStay missing on...

ShortHand: Alchemy

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Turning lead into gold and living forever: that’s about the summation of our modern understanding of Alchemy. Informed by high-fantasy films and po...

ShortHand: Area 51

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Alien autopsies, flying saucers, and top secret government programs: three things alleged to be hiding in ‘Area 51’. Officially known as Homey Ai...

Mexico's Cartel Wars: The Torture and Murder of Agent Kiki Camarena | #438

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Amid the chaos now unfolding in Mexico after the February 2026 assassination of drug cartel boss El Mencho, we’re throwing it back to the 1985 tort...

ShortHand: The ‘Monuments Men’ Saving Art from Nazi Bombs

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the darkest hour of WWII, as bombs threatened Europe’s historic cities, a small unit was sent to the front lines – not to fight, but to save a...

ShortHand: Lake Nyos - Fog of Death

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

“On that day, there were no flies on the dead. The flies were dead too.” On the 21st of August 1986, 1746 people and 3500 livestock died in the ...

The Suffolk Strangler: Ipswich's Red Light Killings | #437

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In December 2006, the town of Ipswich was rocked by a spree of brutal murders targeting sex workers in its notorious red light area. But the story di...

ShortHand: Valentine’s Special (w/ Abi Clarke)

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

EmptyHanded is back! We’re joined by comedian Abi Clarke to discuss all things racy, risky and romantic – and read out some of the most scandalou...

ShortHand: The Bizarre History of Birth Control

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to dive into the surprising, and at times horrifying, history of contraception through the ages; from crocodile-du...

Brendan Banfield: The Au Pair Affair Murders | #436

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When Brendan Banfield frantically called 911 in February 2023 to report a double murder at his million-dollar suburban home in Virginia, it seemed li...

ShortHand: White Slaves & the Pirates of the Barbary Coast

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For all the centuries of slavery throughout human history, you might think one group came through mostly unscathed: white Europeans. But for more tha...

ShortHand: Lucy Letby - What Netflix Left Out

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The ever-changing story of neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, and the Countess of Chester baby deaths, has been given the Netflix treatment – and We. Have....

FROM THE VAULT: Is Lucy Letby Innocent?

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the new Netflix documentary about Lucy Letby, we're dipping into the RedHanded archives to revisit our own coverage of this controversial...

Jessica Wongso: Iced Coffee Killer | #435

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In January 2016, a coffee date between three glamorous Indonesian gal pals turned deadly – when Mirna Salihin, a wealthy and beautiful newlywed, to...

ShortHand: Nellie Bly – The Woman Who Changed Journalism

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From faking insanity to go undercover in an asylum, racing around the world in 72 days, and reporting from the front lines of deadly war zones, this ...

The Oakland County Child Killer | #434

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Behind the façade of the white-picket-fence dream and adventurous childhoods of suburban, late-70s Michigan, lay a web of depravity that law enforcem...

ShortHand: Sesame Street

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Not many of us need convincing that Sesame Street is good; the Muppets have been chaotic TV icons for more than 50 years. But what not many people kno...

FROM THE VAULT: Iran's Morality Police & Mahsa Amini | #354

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

With 2026 bringing widespread anti-government protests to Iran, and the government’s brutal crackdowns leading to thousands of people killed and arr...

The Lundy Family Murders: An Impossible Crime | #433

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 2000, Christine Lundy and her seven-year-old daughter Amber were brutally hacked to death in their New Zealand home. Their husband and father, Mark...

ShortHand: Fish Fraud

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

‘Anal seepage’ is one of the many potential risks to the consumer due to seafood fraud, a multi-layered conspiracy that goes as deep as the Marian...

Luigi Mangione - Part Two: On Pain of Death | #432

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When Luigi Mangione was charged as the UnitedHealthcare shooter – it changed everything. The public knew this was a political act, but Luigi was not...

ShortHand: Where is Shelly Miscavige?

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most powerful people in one of the most powerful organizations in the world, Shelly Miscavige, hasn't been seen in public in almost two dec...

Luigi Mangione - Part One: “Deny, Defend, Depose” | #431

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Our 2026 listener survey is here – if you have 5 minutes to help inform the next year of RedHanded, we'd love to know your thoughts! https://forms.g...

ShortHand: ‘The Line’ - Saudi Arabia’s Futuristic Megacity

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine a building as tall as the Empire State Building, that stretches for more than 100km through the Saudi Arabian desert. Inside are nine million ...

FROM THE VAULT: Ruby Franke: Monster Momfluencer | #364

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When the son of Mormon family vlogger Ruby Franke turned up bound, emaciated and apparently covered in blood – it horrified the police, the internet...

Bonus Patreon Upcycle - KONY 2012

28 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As RedHanded takes a festive pause, we've picked two of our favourite Patreon Bonus episodes from 2025. To get a full-length, bonus episode of RedHand...

Bonus Patreon Upcycle - The Santa Claus Robbery

25 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As RedHanded takes a festive pause, we've picked two of our favourite Patreon Bonus episodes from 2025. To get a full-length, bonus episode of RedHand...

UPDATE: Wondery+ & ShortHand

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The important bits: At the end of this year we'll no longer be a Wondery show. New ShortHand and early-release episodes will no longer appear in ...

OJ Simpson - Part Two: The Gloves Are Off | #430

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

OJ Simpson wasn’t black, “he was OJ”. That was the narrative OJ had pushed his entire career… right up until he found himself in the dock for ...

OJ Simpson - Part One: The Juice is Loose | #429

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Orenthal James Simpson, aka “OJ”, aka “The Juice”: the single most famous man in American sporting history. By the early 90s he had not only e...

Laetitia Toureaux: Murder on the Metro | #428

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In May 1937, a chic young woman entered an empty Paris Métro carriage. Less than a minute later, she was discovered bleeding to death with a dagger i...

Dalia Dippolito: 5,000% Guilty | #427

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Add together a narcissistic gold-digger, a gullible gym bro and a police department with a flair for theatrics, and what do you get? The Dalia Dippoli...

Sid & Nancy: Punk Rock Homicide | #426

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious woke up in a pool of his girlfriend’s blood, most people thought they knew the score. Sid & Nancy were famo...

Robert Wone - Forensics, Fetishes and Fluids: Part Two | #425

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our final episode on the murder of Robert Wone, we examine the most shocking autopsy we’ve ever come across. Complete with what they found on and...

Robert Wone - The Dead of Night: Part One | #424

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just 79 minutes after Robert Wone arrived at the fancy Washington DC townhouse of his College pal, 911 received a call that he was dead.Was it a drug-...

RedHaunted x I Could Murder A Podcast | #423

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For our second Halloween special we’ve teamed up with I Could Murder A Podcast for a super-spooky fancy dress edition of RedHaunted recorded in a ma...

ShortHand: The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allen Poe

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The great literary pantheon of horror would be nothing without the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. His life was every bit as dark and melancho...

Exploring Britain’s Most Evil Church (ft. Ghost Huns) | #422

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For our first of two Halloween specials we set off on a spooky adventure ghost hunting with Ghost Huns at Clophill, allegedly the one of the most haun...

The Baraboo Bonebreaker | #421

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The police knew their suspect was a sexual sadist – one who had trapped a young boy for days and took great pleasure in slowly, methodically, snappi...

FROM THE VAULT: Ian Watkins: Rock Star, Paedophile, Nepiophile

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

*Update* Ian Watkins has been stabbed to death in Wakefield Prison by two fellow inmates, on Saturday 11th October 2025. He was previously stabbed in ...

Unit 731: Japan’s Secret Human Testing Program | #420

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of WWII’s lesser-known horrors, Japan’s secret biological warfare testing program is so brutal and inhumane that it’s hard to believe it cou...

Arne Cheyenne Johnson: The Devil Made Me Do It | #419

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1981, nineteen-year-old Arne Cheyenne Johnson stabbed his landlord to death – but claimed he wasn’t guilty. Why? Because he was possessed by th...

Madeline Soto: Handed to a Monster | #418

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Almost immediately after 13-year-old Madeline Soto was reported missing in February 2024, something didn’t seem quite right.Her mother Jennifer Soto...

Ed Gein: America’s Real-Life Psycho | #417

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re finally diving into the case of infamous bodysnatcher, human-skin-furniture-maker, and OG mummy’s boy...Ed Gein. A shy bachelor who ter...

FROM THE VAULT - Thabo Bester: Twisted Firestarter

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Due to a huge number of requests following a new Netflix doc on Thabo Bester, we're re-releasing our 2023 episode on the shocking, shameless, madder-t...

FROM THE VAULT - Jenelle Potter: Catfish

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With cyberbullying and catfishing stories back in the news it felt like the perfect time to revisit this early episode from back in 2019.--Someone was...

Tania Head: 9/11 Trauma Fraud | #416

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Being in the World Trade Centre when the second plane hit the South Tower; watching her assistant be decapitated; crawling over the bodies of her dead...

Charles Bronson: Britain’s Most Dangerous Prisoner | #415

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do with a prisoner so unhinged that he’s been kicked out of 120 prisons to date? How have Britain’s most secure facilities dealt with ...

Peter Tobin: Trail of Evil | #414

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2006, the body of Polish student Angelika Kluk was found hidden in the most unthinkable place: stuffed beneath the floorboards of a Glasgow church....

Confessions LIVE in NYC | #413

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded LIVE in New York’s Town Hall in front of a sold-out crowd, RedHanded’s Confessions Tour show takes in everything from Mormon sex scandals...

Iqbal Masih: Enslaved, Empowered, Assassinated | #412

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sold into slavery at just four years old, Iqbal Masih’s future was not bright. He was set to be one of the millions of children and adults across As...

Football’s Abuse Scandal: The FA’s Darkest Secret | #411

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2016, ex-footballer Andy Woodward revealed on live TV that he and countless other boys were sexually abused by their former youth coach, Barry Benn...

Erin Patterson & The Mushroom Murders: Part Two | #410

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our second and final part on Erin Patterson’s deadly beef Wellington dinner, we focus on the jaw-dropping trial.So: did she purposefully forage f...

ShortHand: The Epstein Files

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jeffrey Epstein – the billionaire financier-turned-serial-sex-trafficker – is back in the news, in another new guise that no one saw coming: polit...

FROM THE VAULT - Jeffrey Epstein: Parts 1&2

27 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

NOTE: Our update on the Epstein files will be released TOMORROW (Tuesday July 29th) to everyone. In the meantime, for all the context, here’s our tw...

Erin Patterson & The Mushroom Murders: Part One | #409

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At lunchtime, a family in southeast Australia sat down for beef wellington with a mushroom duxelles, creamy mash and buttery green beans. The next mor...

Diddy: The Trial | #408

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday 2 July 2025, a jury found Sean Combs NOT GUILTY of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy – his two most serious charges, which ca...

UPDATE - Constance Marten & Mark Gordon

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were found GUILTY of gross negligence manslaughter. So, on top of our rereleased episode from last year, h...

JFK Part Two: Deniably Plausible | #407

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The report into Kennedy's assassination brought in a new era of mistrust in the government... and that was just the beginning. Because if you look for...

UPDATE: Bryan Kohberger & The Idaho Student Murders

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week in a shocking twist Bryan Kohberger accepted a plea deal for the brutal murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan ...

JFK Part One: America on the Edge | #406

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Who shot JFK is irrelevant, how many people shot him is the real question. Once you have decided there was more than one shooter, the fate of the worl...

The Paedophile Diaries: Dr Joël Le Scouarnec | #405

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“I am a paedophile… and I’m very happy about it.” The thousands of handwritten entries in the so-called ‘black notebooks’ of France’s wo...

Tiffany Cole: Buried Alive | #404

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Party girl Tiffany Cole had always relied on the kindness of strangers – including her former neighbours, Reggie and Carol Sumner. This frail older ...

FROM THE VAULT - Scientology: Parts 1&2

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With Scientology’s biggest poster boy back on the big screen, the church is ramping up the recruitment drive. And to make sure you STAY AWAY from th...

Melanie McGuire: The Suitcase Killer | #403

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Melanie McGuire was a beautiful young nurse who wouldn’t hurt a fly. So when her husband’s chopped-up remains were found in three separate suitcas...

The Zodiac Killer: Part Three | #402

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Who was The Zodiac? Did he kill Cheri Jo Bates? And how did three hobbyist cryptographers crack his ‘impossible’ code 50 years after it was writte...

The Zodiac Killer: Part Two | #401

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week we left you with the absolutely massive cliffhanger of a 408-character cipher, which in theory contained valuable information on the Bay Are...

The Zodiac Killer: Part One | #400

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Violent attacks, sadistic taunting, and uncrackable puzzles; in some ways “The Zodiac” laid the foundations for every murderous TV psychopath and ...

Sarbjit Kaur Athwal: Life Without Honour | #399

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When her sister-in-law never returned from a trip to India, Sarbjit Kaur Athwal knew exactly what had happened: her mother-in-law had made no secret o...

FROM THE VAULT - Fred & Rose West: Parts 1&2

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the release of a new Netflix documentary on the Wests, we dove into the archive (way way back to episodes 27 and 28) to get you up to date with o...

FROM THE VAULT - ShortHand: Conclave

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

ShortHand is released weekly for Wondery+ and Amazon Music subscribers. Listen exclusively and ad-free every Tuesday on Wondery+ through Apple Podcast...

Diddy Part 2: Daddy’s House | #398

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our second part of the Pre-Diddy saga, we take a closer look at the accusations you need to know about – and the 99 problems it could cause for s...

Diddy Part 1: Deal With the Devil | #397

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the trial we’ve all been waiting for finally approaches, we bring you the full rundown on the self-proclaimed “bad boy for life” – and the ...

Episode 396 - Lord Lucan: the Vanishing Earl

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When the Countess of Lucan burst into a West London pub drenched head-to-toe in blood, it instantly sparked a national obsession. Lord Lucan – the s...

Episode 395 - Wallace Souza: Killing for Ratings

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

They say Brazil is not for amateurs. And that’s certainly true in the crime-stricken city of Manaus, where Wallace Souza – a charismatic TV host a...

Episode 394 - The Asunta Case: Adopted and Betrayed

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The adopted princess of a wealthy Spanish family, 12-year-old Asunta Basterra Porto seemed destined to thrive under the devoted care of her parents Ro...