Nightmares
Nightmares is a true-crime podcast designed for bedtime listening. Each episode delves into chilling real-life crime stories, aiming to both captivate and unsettle listeners. The show is produced by Sword and Scale, a well-known true-crime network.
Episodes
Slicer
On September 25, 2014, an ordinary shift at Vaughn Foods in Moore, Oklahoma exploded into chaos after a workplace dispute took a horrifying turn. As panic spread through the factory and terrified employees fled for their lives, the violence unfolding inside pointed to something personal, deliberate, and far from over. By the time the work day ended, those who survived would be left trying to under
Choices
A fugitive on the run takes a woman hostage. Ashley Smith is not only fighting for her life, but also trying to take back control of it. To make it through, she must force a killer to face what he has done and finally face the past she has been avoiding.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Gamer
On a quiet evening in Wichita, Kansas, flashing police lights suddenly flood a residential street. When 28-year-old Andrew Finch steps onto his front porch to see what’s happening, he’s shot by police responding to a reported emergency. In the days that follow, investigators start uncovering a strange chain of events that stretches far beyond that neighborhood and raises troubling questions about
Visitor
On April 18, 2019, 57-year-old Wilfred Guzman was at home when a familiar visit turned into a savage fight for survival. By the time police forced their way inside Apartment 16, they found blood in every room and signs that the attack had unfolded with whatever was within reach: kitchen knives, forks, spoons, even a small television. Detectives quickly pieced together what happened. What they coul
Barren
A plot to find a million dollars in buried fortune ends in unthinkable violence. Mary was caught in the middle of it all. She shouldn’t have survived the desert, but when she did, she led the authorities to a scene of deliberate mayhem. At the center of it all is Adam Nayeri, and a plan built on a belief that was never real.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crim
Lovers
In November 2012, freshly divorced auto shop manager Dave Kroupa thought he was navigating the casual dating scene in Omaha, Nebraska until one short relationship ended and the stalking began. For the next three years, the messages grew more violent, more personal, and more terrifying, all coming from a woman who refused to let him go. But as detectives dug into the case, they uncovered a truth th
Sanctuary
On a quiet January morning in rural Pennsylvania, Rhonda Smith went to work at her church and never came home. What started as a shocking act of violence inside a place of worship slowly unraveled into something far more personal. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered whispered jealousies, blurred boundaries, and a devotion that may have crossed a dangerous line.Get commercial free access to
Bad Friends
On March 12, 2000, in Spearfish, South Dakota, nineteen-year-old Chester Allan Poage agrees to a night that seems harmless… until it isn’t. In a secluded pocket of the Black Hills, it’s hard for a trusting kid like Chester to tell the difference between friends and predators.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Survival
In October 2013, fourteen-year-old Abby Hernandez vanished on her walk home from school in rural New Hampshire. Months passed, searches faded, and a letter arrived that changed how the public understood her disappearance. When Abby finally came home, the truth forced a reckoning with certainty, judgment, and what survival actually looks like when escape is not possible.Get commercial free access t
Echo Chamber
When an 83-year-old woman is found dead inside her quiet Old Greenwich home, investigators start piecing together the final months of her life, and the unraveling of her son, Erik Soelberg. What first appears to be a private family tragedy reveals a disturbing descent shaped by isolation, certainty, and a voice that never challenged his fears. This episode examines how belief hardens, reality frac
Hollywood
It's March 2006 in Villa Park Illinois and nineteen-year-old Rose thinks she’s found an escape, until a woman vanishes and the search starts pointing somewhere darker. As detectives close in, Rose is forced to replay every late-night call, every story, every “coincidence,” realizing the truth was being rehearsed right in front of her. By the time the case breaks, Rose understands she was never jus
Snap
Thirteen-year-old Thad Phillips fell asleep on his couch—and woke up in a nightmare. Trapped in a decaying house with a smiling teen and sinister intentions, he would spend two harrowing days fighting to survive when all hope seemed lost.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Party
James Rackover looked like someone who had it all. He had style, status, and a last name that carried weight. But the truth behind the image was darker. When a man goes missing after a night in Manhattan, investigators start to uncover the kind of past James hoped no one would find. He wasn’t who he said he was. And he wasn’t done breaking the rules.Get commercial free access to over a decade of S
Trouble Ahead
A teenage girl’s discovery of a human skull on Iowa’s Greenbelt River Trail led investigators to the murder of missing 29-year-old Angela Nicole Bradbury. The case unraveled into a chilling confession by Nathan James Gilmore, whose digital trail and coded clues revealed a cold, deliberate killing. What began as a missing person report ended as one of Iowa’s most disturbing murder cases.Get commerc
Consumed
When a devastating fire consumed the lives of an affluent British family, suspicions arose, pointing fingers at those who knew business tycoon Chris Foster and may have wanted him dead. As detectives sifted through the ashes and debris, they uncovered even more secrets buried within the Shropshire mansion. From hidden affairs and financial troubles to long-buried grudges and shattered dreams, inve
One Percent
62-year-old Kathy Hughes Anderson spent her career tending to trees, preserving beauty and order across the towns she served. In retirement, she brought that same quiet dedication to her life at home - until one December evening when a stranger walked through her front door. Kathy had no idea who he was. But Francis Wolke had been convinced he needed to kill to join the one percent.Get commercial
Room Service
17-year-old Linda Bury’s home life was a mess, so she turned to social media to reinvent herself. There she met Joshua Mebane and this unassuming, wealthy monster would change her life forever.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Family Meal
The town of Chickasha, Oklahoma was shaken to its core when they heard the news that two were dead, one of which was a four year old child, and another was seriously maimed. Their outrage grew when they learned the name of the culprit was Lawrence Paul Anderson, a career criminal that should have never been out of prison. But nothing prepared them for when he confessed to his crimes and revealed t
Mom
Kimberly Cargill was evil personified. She abused her children for years, circumventing the system to keep them in her clutches. Finally, the state caught on and what she did to keep from trouble was worse than the abuse itself.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Dad
In the tiny, rural village of Emerson, Nebraska, where only about 800 people live nestled in the northern, rolling hills, a series of inexplicable events begins to unfold. What seems like an ordinary morning turns into a nightmare as a young mother stumbles upon clues that hint at foul play on her boyfriend’s property. As the clues quickly mount, the truth reveals itself to be far worse than anyon
Evil Prevails
In San Fernando Valley, whispers of occult dealings and the lingering legacy of Charles Manson and Richard Ramirez still cast eerie shadows. This is where the chilling tale of Ron Baker's tragic demise beckons. Two years of haunting silence shroud the truth behind his untimely death, but as a relentless detective peels back layers of deception, a malevolent web begins to unravel. In the heart of C
Lobotomized
Tammy thought she met the man of her dreams when she started dating Joseph Oberhansley. He was younger than her and she found him handsome. But when he slowly became controlling and she discovered the secret of his horrible past she broke it off. Only then did Joe reveal his true self and Tammy never stood a chance.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcast
Father Figure
The report of local businessman Tom Merriman’s death may have been overstated but when officers with the Solana Beach Police Department searched for Tom and couldn’t find him they were sent into high alert. The search for Tom would reveal a long-time betrayal and a motive for his murder for the most unlikely of suspects.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime po
Assistance
In July 2020, 33-year-old tech entrepreneur Fahim Saleh was found dismembered down to his torso in his New York City apartment. Bank statements would reveal who had the motive to commit such a heinous murder.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Laborious
When a 46-year-old woman calls 9-11 for help after a sudden home birth, suspicions are raised when she shows no signs of labor. Police would soon discover the grisly truth behind the baby’s unexpected birth.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Cheers
Cameron Kirk was a sad, depressed middle-aged man who found himself living back at home with his mother, Paula Kirk. Things had never been good between the two, but as her drinking increased, so did his resentments and it would all end in a gruesome murder. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Surgeon
A long-time dream turns into a nightmare for a Virginia man trapped in a cabin in the Oklahoma woods. Kia Aster had the highest hopes when he met a stranger at the airport. But what he thought would be a quick and painless trip landed him in the emergency room bleeding, collapsed, and unconscious.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordan
No Justice
In December of 2014, 19-year-old Jessica Chambers was set on fire in her car on an old country road in her rural Mississippi town. Jessica survived long enough to give a few clues as to who committed this unspeakable crime, but it would prove near impossible to apprehend her killer.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
The Gift
Colleen and Rob McKernan were set up by common friends and had a quick, whirlwind romance. But her controlling ways would turn fatal as she learned the hard way that you can’t change anyone, no matter how hard you try.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Act Your Age
When 15-year-old Joanna Dennehy first met 20-year-old John Treanor in her hometown of St. Albans, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, the romance was like something out of “Trainspotting”. It predictably descended into madness over the course of 12 years, because Joanna had been hiding a secret. It was one that jeopardized the lives of everyone in her orbit.Get commercial free access to over a de
The Pact
A quaint township in Pennsylvania is shaken to its core when three dead bodies are discovered lying in a perfect line in their backyard. The police don’t immediately know what happened to Elizabeth Daub and her parents but it appears to be an execution-style killing. A bullet for each of them to the back of the head. But then strange documents and the discovery of chilling YouTube videos cast a di
The Tourist
When recent college graduates Kelsey Chang and Eva Liu decided to take a celebratory trip to Europe before starting their careers, neither young woman could have prevented the horrors that awaited them when they got to Germany. It’d be a trip that would change their lives forever.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Hell
88 elderly lives are in peril after the Quaker’s Hill Nursing Home goes up in flames. Who started the fire, and why? This is the story of one of Australia’s worst mass murderers.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Clown
Engulfed in the horrorcore scene, 20-year-old Richard McCroskey made a name for himself, singing about satanism, suicide, murder, and rape online. After releasing songs titled “Murderous Rage,” “Infamy,” and “I Kill People for Real,” Richard made some internet friends of the same ilk. When Richard traveled halfway across the country to meet those friends in person, he learned that sometimes life i
Cuck
Pastor David Evans and his wife, Kristie, were stars in their little town of Ada, Oklahoma. They were good Christians devoted to their church and their community, but once they became empty nesters, they started dabbling in sin and it all ended in murder.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
God Bless America
In the idyllic town of Shakopee, where the Minnesota River winds its peaceful course, and a community finds solace, tranquility turns to terror when a horrifying crime rocks the neighborhood to its core. A young woman witnesses a night-marish scene right outside her home and shares it, sending shockwaves through the town and beyond.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's t
Full House
It took over four years to identify the remains of Ryan Zimmerman. Understanding how and why he was killed would force authorities to untangle a twisted knot of love, sex, and gender transitioning.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Protector
On the bleak day following Thanksgiving in 2022, the tranquility of La Sierra South, a Riverside, California neighborhood, was shattered. Within the confines of a close-knit cul-de-sac, panic ensued. A series of frantic 911 calls echoed through the air, detailing a mysterious vehicle, an active kidnapping, and ultimately, a raging house fire. The community stood at the precipice of chaos, gripped
Nightmares Season 2
How to listent to Sword and Scale Nightmares Season 2...swordandscale.comGet commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
What a Boar
In 2016, a notorious Polish librarian took flight to the island of Malta after brutally mutilating a beautiful language teacher named Katarzyna Jaroszyńska. Police were thrust onto a dark journey into the twisted mind of a brilliant and sadistic murderer. Baffled at the savage crime, detectives must uncover the truth and bring the elusive killer to justice.Get commercial free access to over a deca
Such Drama
When a promising young actress is raped and murdered in her childhood bedroom, her family and the police department are stunned as to who could have done this. Two linking crimes eventually lead to the same unassuming suspect.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Sucker
During some of Romania’s toughest times under Communist control, a vampire stalked the streets after midnight seeking out prey to satisfy his urges for blood and death. While the crimes were initially ignored to spare the country’s reputation, Ion Rimaru would finally be caught and named the Butcher of Bucharest.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts a
Sugar
18-year-old Aprina Paul was a nursing student following her dreams when she mysteriously went missing. Her mother Alice Larrue never gave up hope, even when Aprina’s killer continued to harass her.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
No Good Deed
Mormons and entrepreneurs Tony and Katherine Butterfield were the kind of people who gave a leg up to anyone who needed it. They invited jobless citizens to work for their landscaping company and homeless ones into their home. So on the morning of April 18th, 2020 no one could believe it when screams were heard coming from their house, and the pair were discovered fatally wounded while their three
Nice Shot
In Tennessee in 2005 a jury was faced with a difficult question. What would you do if you were in Kim Cunningham’s place? It was a difficult question to answer. After the law failed her once Kim gunned down a man in broad daylight before turning herself in. She claimed it was all for her kids.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandsca
Porcelain
In the spring of 2006, a bubbly young woman with close ties to friends and family suddenly goes missing, leaving behind all of her personal belongings and a ransacked apartment. When Christina Eubanks turns up dead, everyone wants the truth. But the truth won’t come so easily and jurors would find themselves wondering if the victim was spontaneoulsy struck or if she was slain over a dirty secret.G
Paper Thin
Neighbors in a Santa Cruz beachside bungalow are alarmed when a strange smell starts emitting from one apartment building. No one could have imagined what happened inside.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Doctor Death
In 2008, something strange started happening in Omaha, Nebraska. Multiple members of Creighton University Medical Center’s pathology department were targeted in violent crimes. Five years later, it happened again. Police and people in the community were scratching their heads. How could anyone have a grudge against a group of doctors?Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's
Spoiled
Not hearing from her sister in a while Pamela Powel called the police. Upon a welfare check the police would discover her home was empty. It wasn’t just Alison Sapikowski that was missing, it was her husband James, and her high school-aged son Adam. When the police began canvassing the neighborhood asking questions they would reveal a most shocking reason the Sapikowskis were nowhere to be found.G
Going for a Spin
In June of 1977, Yale students Terri Jentz and Avra Goldman are on a cross-country biking trip when a terrifying attack changes their lives forever.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Peeping David
When Kent law enforcement arrived at 67-year-old David Fuller’s home on December 3rd, 2020, they expected to put an end to a 33-year-old murder investigation. They never expected that closing this case would shatter the lives of over 100 additional families in the process.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Exorcism
While police search a small Pentecostal church for kidnapped Baby Brandon, another disturbing case emerges… one involving the horrifying exorcism of Arely Proctor.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Protective Services
It was May of 1998 in the small town of Romeo, Michigan and a crew of detectives found themselves knee-deep in a hoarder’s nest. The once quaint home of the Verellen Sisters now resembled the inside of a dumpster. The whole house was littered with trash: greasy paper bags, half-empty cups of soda, pest strips hanging from the ceiling collecting flies, and ketchup. There was an obscene amount of ke
Kid Van
After a little boy’s body is found floating off the Oregon coastline in December of 2001, detectives are alarmed that no one in the area reports a missing child. Soon, more bodies are pulled from the water, and a narcissistic conman goes on the run.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Immaculate
Happily married Joseph Parker and his wife fell on hard times after he lost his job. Their beautiful home in Tennessee was foreclosing soon, and they were equally distressed. The pressure was mounting, and they couldn’t imagine things getting any worse. Then, on their 12th anniversary, Joseph begins hearing noises coming from the garage. What he discovered would turn the family upside down.Get com
Culture War
Amarillo, Texas is known to many as “Bomb City” because it’s home to the Pantex nuclear weapons facility. In the 90’s, Amarillo was filled with lots of country-folk and bible-belt families, but there also existed a subculture that the town worked hard to keep hidden. Just before Christmas in 1997, the veritable civil-war between the youth of these two groups came to an explosive head. This time, n
Check Out
In 1997, Ricki Ellsworth, a wife, mom and daughter went missing from her night job at a Memphis hotel. Her only remains were the red stains left behind on the walls and floor where she worked. While her murder would be solved her body would never be found thanks to the years of planning by her killer.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swo
Three Strikes
A shocking news headline sends minor league baseball player Blake Bivens home in a hurry. Something was happening in his hometown in Virginia and he feared the worst. A tragedy struck that affected the whole community and would change his life forever.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
The Final House
In fall of 1974, a father and son bond over multiple armed robberies, sexual assaults, and brutal murders.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Not Recovering
Amityville, New York was the scene for a 70’s movie called Amityville Horror, but 2020 reminded residents that horror can strike at any time. Vietnam vet Dwight Powers would be the focus of this true story, and he wouldn’t live to tell it. Assaulted in his very home by a crazed and ruthless man, he learned the hard way that safety and peace are only ever temporary.Get commercial free access to ove
The Hole
A brilliant psychopath traps multiple women in his secret basement and begins plans to create the perfect family.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
Women's Rights
“Artist, women’s rights activist, Japanese immigrant, renowned arts professor”. These are the words that describe Rie Hachiyanagi, a paper artist living and working in Massachusetts at Mount Holyoke College. When she discovered her friend in serious danger one night in December of 2019, Rie revealed to the world her multi-faceted personality. There was more to Rie than those around her could see.G
Graphic Novel
“If you were gorgeous and running out of money, what would you do? If you loved hurting things, what would you do?” 30-year-old Iana Kasian was a Ukrainian woman who was about to marry into a very wealthy Canadian family. She had already secured her spot with a baby on the way. Iana would soon learn the answers to those cryptic questions… though she’d learn them the hard way.Get commercial free ac
Dorm Life
The entire second floor of the Graham-Greenlee dormitory on the University of Arizona’s campus was suddenly awoken in the early morning hours of September 5th, 2007. It sounded like someone was moving furniture until they heard screams. A fight had broken out between roommates sending Galareka Harrison fleeing down the hall searching for help leaving a trail of blood behind her.Get commercial free
Second Grave
Detectives fear the worst after a 9-year-old girl goes missing, and an empty grave is discovered in the nearby woods.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com
All in the Family
From the moment Katie Fusco learned that she was an adopted child, she longed to understand where she came from and why she was put up for adoption in the first place. At age 18, just as she was about to graduate high school and head off to college, Katie decided to make contact with her biological parents. Unfortunately, this choice came with a hard lesson. Some rocks should never be turned over.
All Aboard
In 1986, a young Navy Seaman went missing from Gibraltar, a British naval base, after the ship The Illustrious docked for a few days. Simon Parkes’s grief-stricken parents would search for him for more than fifteen years, until 2001 when a connection was made between Simon and two other young cadets who went missing. Their bodies would surface, but Simon’s would not. Investigators would later disc
Roadkill
Two men on vacation in Florida happen upon a battered and desperate woman who stumbled out of the brush on the side of a remote highway in South Florida. As the men try to help Shandelle Maycock they realize her injuries are severe but she wasn’t worried about them, she was more worried about who did this to her… and her still missing child.The distressing tale of Kendall Maycock unfolds as a poig
One Thousand
The report of what appeared to be a body on the front porch of a home in small-town St. Johns, Arizona triggered an investigation that would be quick, but not without a myriad of twists and turns.In this gripping episode of Sword and Scale Nightmares, listeners are taken deep into the chilling true crime story of Christian Romero, an eight-year-old boy from the small town of Saint John's, Arizona,
Trailer
Welcome to Sword and Scale Nightmares! True Crime for Bedtime. Your nightmare begins now...The first three episodes will drop on 3.2.23 at 3:23pm EDT. In the meantime, please take a moment to subscribe on your preferred podcast listening platform...SUBSCRIBE NOW: https://link.chtbl.com/sasnightmaresApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sword-and-scale-nightmares/id1657802345Spotify
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