Episode Details
Back to EpisodesWinnie Ruth Judd. The Trunk Murderess.
Description
October 1931. Phoenix, Arizona.
When Winnie Ruth Judd arrived at a Los Angeles train station with two heavy trunks and a suitcase, railway employees noticed something alarming: a foul odor—and blood leaking from the luggage.
Inside were the remains of her friends, Agnes Anne LeRoi and Hedvig “Sammy” Samuelson. One woman had been shot and left intact. The other had been dismembered and packed into separate containers. Winnie disappeared before police could question her, setting off a nationwide manhunt and igniting one of the most sensational murder cases of the Depression era.
The newspapers branded her the Trunk Murderess and the Tiger Woman, portraying Winnie as a jealous killer driven by a complicated relationship involving wealthy businessman Jack Halloran. She was eventually convicted of LeRoi’s murder and sentenced to death, although that sentence was later commuted after she was declared mentally incompetent.
But the evidence never fit neatly into the story presented at trial. Winnie claimed self-defense and insisted Halloran had helped dispose of the bodies. Questions remained about who fired the fatal shots, who dismembered Samuelson, and whether an influential man was protected while Winnie became the perfect public villain.
Was Winnie Ruth Judd a calculating double murderer—or a frightened woman condemned by scandal, sensational headlines, and a justice system eager for a conviction?
This is the bloody, bizarre, and still controversial story of Winnie Ruth Judd and the Trunk Murders.- sources used for this podcast
- Support the show
- JOIN THE HITCHED 2 HOMICIDE IN-LAWS AND OUTLAWS
- START KRIS CALVERT'S BOOKS TODAY FOR FREE
- Send Kris and Rob a Message
- H2H WEBSITE H2H on TWITTER H2H on INSTA
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.