Our True Crime Podcast: September 2023

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

230. Killing Cousins: Susie Newsom Lynch & Fritz Klenner

On June 3rd, 1985, in Summerfield, North Carolina, police watched in horror as a Chevy Blazer full of passengers exploded on NC150 right before their eyes. There were no survivors. Within minutes, the dark clouds hovering in the sky let loose, dumping rain and hail on the grotesque scene. “It was like the Lord was mad,” one officer said later. “Like He was real mad. I mean, really pissed off.”

In the Blazer was Susie Newsome Lynch, her first cousin and lover Fritz Klenner, and Susie's young sons, John and James. The events that led to this tragic moment are drenched in deep-seated resentment, paranoia, fear, obsession, and hatred. By the time the carnage was over, nine people had died, three officers were wounded, three families were left in ruins, and those who survived were devastated.

It left everybody scratching their heads and asking, “Why?”

Join Jen and Cam while they discuss the wild case "Killing Cousins: Susie Newsom Lynch & Fritz Klenner'.

The book Jen talked about is called Bitter Blood by Jerry Bledsoe. Mr. Bledsoe originally wrote about this case in the Greensboro News & Record, and that piece won an award. That was then turned into this book that hit the New York Times Bestseller list. Jen would mark it as one of the top True Crime books she's read. You can find the Amazon link at the top of the sources list.

The made-for-TV two-part movie is called In The Best of Families: Marriage, Pride & Madness. Starring Kelly McGillis, Harry Hamlin, and Keith Carradine.

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Written and researched by Lauretta Allen
with bits added in by Jen
Listener Discretion by Edward October from OctoberpodVHS
Executive Producer Nico Vitesse of The Inky Paw Print

Sources:
Bitter Blood on Amazon
https://www.nydailynews.com/2022/06/11/justice-story-kissing-and-killing-cousins-kept-their-crimes-in-the-family/
https://wfhszephyr.com/4137/features/too-close-to-home-fritz-klenner-and-susie-lynch/
https://carolinacrime.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/cc-episode-2-susie-lynch-and-fritz-klenner-.pdf

https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/40-the-bitter-blood-murders
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9421073/frederick-robert-klenner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90748424/susie-sharp-lynch
https://murderpedia.org/male.K/k/klenner-frederick.htm
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7842386/delores-lynch
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kEQsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bM4EAAAAIBAJ&dq=Susiee%20lynch&pg=6795%2C3744851
https://www.newspapers.com/image/624539730/?terms=Fritz%20Klenner&match=1 (Ian Perkins)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/109736856/?terms=Fritz%20Klenner&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/624010626/?terms=Fritz%20Klenner&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/785739676/?terms=Fritz%20Klenner&match=1
(Tom Lynch talks about the case)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/624406709/?terms=Fritz%20Klenner&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/655273817/?terms=Fritz%20Klenner&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/624540804/?terms=Fritz%20Klenner&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/624542056/?terms=Fritz%20Klenner&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/624397924/?terms=Fritz%20Klenner&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/624536791/?terms=Fritz%20Klenner&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/960962141/terms=Susie%20Newsom%20Lynch&match=1 *** good breakdown of info
https://www.newspapers.com/image/961017140/terms=Susie%20Newsom%20Lynch&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/960962122/terms=Susie%20Newsom%20Lynch&match=1 (timeline of all the players)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/960962013/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/960962122/terms=Susie%20Newsom%20Lynch&match=1
https://southwritlarge.com/articles/susie-marshall-sharp-its-not-just-the-woman-thing/
(It's not really pertinent to the case, but it's a fascinating read about Susie's aunt and namesake.)
https://the-line-up.com/bitter-blood-murders-excerpt
https://www.newspapers.com/image/110732872/?terms=Delores%20Lynch&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/110733599/?terms=Delores%20Lynch&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/109736740/?terms=Delores%20Lynch&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/109705632/terms=%22Delores%20Lynch%22&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/109854161/terms=%22Delores%20Lynch%22&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/662583612/terms=%22Delores%20Lynch%22&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/109854546/terms=%22Delores%20Lynch%22&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/688614306/terms=%22Delores%20Lynch%22&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/109863783/terms=%22Delores%20Lynch%22&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/109860683/terms=%22Delores%20Lynch%22&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/943338070/?terms=Newsom%20Murder&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/623980205/?terms=Newsom%20Murder&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/943340471/?terms=Newsom%20Murder&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/939337482/?terms=Newsom%20Murder&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/939328246/?terms=Newsom%20Murder&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/939328246/?terms=Newsom%20Murder&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/939328544/?terms=Newsom%20Murder&match=1 (obituaries for Robert, Florence, and Hattie.)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/939284753/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/944761848/?terms=Hattie%20Newsom&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/939286290/?terms=Hattie%20Newsom&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/943292724/?terms=Hattie%20Newsom&match=1
http://www.theknightshift.com/2015/06/bitter-blood-thirty-years-later.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/624541232/terms=John%20James%20Lynch&match=1
https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/hickoryrecord.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/63/163576f3-8eb6-57b1-a141-90d9cb245c0e/60b54be019b05.pdf.pdf
http://www.theknightshift.com/2015/06/bitter-blood-thirty-years-later.html

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

229. A Mother's Intuition: Ashley Wilson

We are headed to the great state of Texas, Houston, to be exact. Renee and her 19-year-old daughter Ashley Wilson are very close, talking often, usually every day. There was no answer when Renee tried to reach out on the phone to have their usual chat. Usually, this may scare Renee, but she thought she knew why. Ashley had called her mom a few days earlier to tell her she had some news, and that news came with lots of crying in about nine months. Renee thought Ashley was upset with her as her, as Renee told Ashley there would have to be some changes in her life with a baby coming. One of those changes included moving back home. Ashley, who had just moved out, had been in a terrible car accident with severe injuries. Ashley took a long time to heal and was proud of her new independence. On January 19, 2004, a call came into the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s office. Renee is shocked to find her sweet daughter dead inside her apartment. Around her neck is the cord she wore around her neck at her high school graduation and a pillow over her head. Ashley had hanged herself, but Renee did not believe this to be the case. Perhaps Renee was wrong, or maybe it was a mother’s intuition.

Join Jen and Cam on this “Our True Crime Podcast” episode entitled ‘A Mother’s Intuition.’

Listener Discretion by the oh-so-talented @octoberpodVHS
All Music by our EP Nico @theinkypawprint (formally known as @wetalkofdreams)

Promo from our friends at www.crimewithmycoffee.net

Sources:https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=127642&page=1

https://www.foxnews.com/story/passion-confessor-pleads-guilty-to-murder

https://www.scotsman.com/news/world/film-prompts-murder-confession-2509128

https://medium.com/vandal-press/an-assholes-guide-to-getting-away-with-murder-677337e321ed

https://militaryjusticeforall.com/tag/ashley-wilson/

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4607592

https://www.cbn.com/entertainment/screen/passion_eldred_texaspassion.aspx?mobile=false

https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/article/Killer-confesses-Teen-s-death-not-suicide-9749822.php

https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-ashley-nicole/26483377/

https://thecinemaholic.com/ashley-wilson-murder-where-is-dan-leach-now/

https://www.myplainview.com/news/article/Autopsy-Victim-in-Passion-case-not-pregnant-8955115.php

https://www.imdb.com/find/?q=%20%E2%80%98Signs%20Of%20A%20Psychopath%3A%20Unholy%20Acts%E2%80%99%20&ref_=nv_sr_smhttps://

ww.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B091JSM2D4/ref=atv_hm_hom_c_lZOsi7_2_7?jic=8%7CEgNhbGw%3D

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Gone In A Flash: Holly Jones

Content Warning

This episode deals with the rape and death of a young child.

Ten-year-old Holly had been playing with a neighborhood playmate a bit younger than her. When it came time for her friend to go home, Holly didn’t want the little girl to walk back alone. So her mother, Maria, gave her permission to escort her friend home since the walk wasn’t very far, only about six minutes. In fact, it was the same route that Holly took every day to get to school.

By 8:30, darkness had fallen, and Holly had not arrived home. At first, Maria thought that her daughter must have stayed at her friend’s house to play for a little while, but a quick phone call confirmed that she hadn’t. Family and friends began canvassing the neighborhood. A frantic Maria called the police and reported her daughter missing.

The next morning, a man was walking their dog along the beach when he saw a black nylon duffel bag in the water. Inside that bag, he would find the torso of a young girl wrapped in plastic.