Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes

Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes

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, each weekly episode unpacks 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 Wednesday. This is a Crime House Original, powered by PAVE Studios.

Episodes

CRIMES: The Black Dahlia

October 29, 2025 • 47 mins
In 1947, the mutilated body of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles, shocking the nation and spawning a media firestorm. Dubbed “The Black Dahlia,” her case became one of the most infamous unsolved murders in American history. This episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes unravels the secrets, suspects, and sinister theories that still haunt Hollywood nearly 80 years later. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Cr...
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CRIMES: The Oslo Plaza Woman

October 22, 2025 • 40 mins
In 1995, a woman checked into Oslo’s Plaza Hotel under a fake name. Days later, she was found dead in her room: no ID, no fingerprints, and no one looking for her. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, we investigate the chilling mystery of the Oslo Plaza Woman and why some believe she wasn’t just hiding… she was hunted. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE St...
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CULTS: Jonestown

October 15, 2025 • 46 mins
In 1955, Jim Jones founded the Peoples Temple. By 1978, he led more than 900 of his followers to their deaths. From political power plays to psychological torture in the Guyanese jungle, this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes exposes how one man’s delusions led to one of the deadliest cult tragedies in history: the Jonestown Massacre. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered b...
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CONSPIRACY THEORIES: Manhattan Project

October 8, 2025 • 44 mins
In 1945, the Manhattan Project created the deadliest weapon the world had ever seen. But behind the race to build the atomic bomb were secret human radiation experiments, government surveillance, and a suspicious death that still raises questions. This episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes uncovers the dark truth behind Oppenheimer’s legacy...and the secrets that never made it into history books. Conspiracy Theories, C...
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A Crime House Halloween Special: The Conjuring’s True Horror | From Twisted Tales

October 6, 2025 • 30 mins
Spooky season is here, and because you’re part of the Crime House community, we’re treating you to a bonus Halloween episode from our very own team—the same creators behind the show you’re listening to now. This time, we’re introducing you to our brand-new series, Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong. Every Monday, Heidi—artist, poet, and ultimate horror queen—unearths the chilling true stories behind the world’s most terrifying legends....
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CONSPIRACY THEORIES: Phoenix Lights

October 1, 2025 • 42 mins
In 1997, thousands across Arizona reported seeing strange lights in the night sky. The military called them flares. But some witnesses, including pilots, doctors, and the state’s own governor, say it was something far more mysterious. This episode of "Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes" explores the Phoenix Lights, one of the largest UFO sightings in U.S. history. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes is a Crime House Original Po...
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CRIMES: Octopus Murders

September 24, 2025 • 44 mins
Danny Casolaro said he was about to expose a global conspiracy. Days later, he was found dead in a hotel bathtub. In this episode of "Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes," we investigate "The Octopus," a shadowy network involving stolen software, CIA secrets, and political sabotage...and the chilling questions that still surround Casolaro’s death. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered b...
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CONSPIRACY THEORIES: JFK's Assassination

September 17, 2025 • 42 mins
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in broad daylight. The government said it was the work of one man: Lee Harvey Oswald. But decades later, newly-released files still don’t tell the full story. This episode of "Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes" investigates the JFK assassination and the tangled web of theories involving the CIA, the mafia, and a second shooter. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes is a Crime...
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CULTS: Church of Jesus with Signs Following

September 10, 2025 • 44 mins
In a small Alabama church, faith meant more than prayer. It meant picking up a live rattlesnake and trusting God to spare you. But when Pastor Glenn Summerford’s wife was bitten twice, the truth slithered into view. On this episode of "Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes," we investigate the rise of the Church of Jesus with Signs Following and the attempted murder that brought it all crashing down. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & C...
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CULTS: The Branch Davidians

September 3, 2025 • 47 mins
In 1993, a cult outside Waco, Texas went to war with the U.S. government. Seventy-six people, including 25 children, didn’t survive. In this episode, "Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes" unravels the terrifying rise of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians...and how belief in a coming apocalypse turned deadly. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you g...
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CONSPIRACY THEORIES: Emanuela Orlandi

August 27, 2025 • 42 mins
In 1983, 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi vanished from Vatican City...and never came home. For decades, her family searched for answers. What they uncovered pointed to something far darker than a kidnapping. In this episode, "Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes" takes a deep dive into the Vatican’s most disturbing cold case and the chilling evidence the Church never wanted you to see. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes is a Crim...
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CONSPIRACY THEORIES: MK-Ultra

August 20, 2025 • 42 mins
Mind control. LSD. Government cover-ups. In this episode, "Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes" investigates Project MK-Ultra, the CIA program that secretly tested drugs and psychological torture on U.S. citizens. Find out why decades later we still don’t know the full truth. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. For ad-free listen...
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CULTS: Heaven's Gate

August 10, 2025 • 46 mins
In 1997, 39 Heaven’s Gate cult members died by mass suicide, believing a UFO would grant them salvation. In this debut episode, Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes peels back the layers of how a cosmic prophecy and Marshall Applewhite’s delusion ended in the deadliest cult suicide in U.S. history. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcas...
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New Podcast: Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes

July 23, 2025 • 1 min
From UFO cults and mass suicides to secret CIA experiments, presidential assassinations, and murderous doctors, these aren’t just theories. They’re real stories that blur the line between fact and fiction. In Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, host Vanessa Richardson takes you deep inside some of the most disturbing, shocking, and unforgettable true crime cases in history and the people who lived them, lied through them, and so...
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