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Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands

Lava for Good Podcasts 9 Episodes Oct 11, 2023

Twenty-two-year-old Elma Sands is found murdered in a Manhattan well on January 2nd, 1800. Her lover, wealthy and well-connected Levi Weeks, is accused of the barbaric offense. Weeks brings in the nation’s best legal defense team – none other than Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr – to clear his name while a pandemic-stricken New York City buzzes with scandal. This six-episode true story unfolds over the unbelievable two-day trial that laid the sexist roots of today’s justice system. Through flashbacks & testimony recreated in modernized language and narrated by Allison Flom, Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands investigates history’s chronic erasure of women and highlights the toils of Catherine Ring, a 27-year-old Quaker woman who took on the nation’s best legal team to preserve her cousin Elma’s name.

Episodes

Introducing - Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands Oct 11, 2023 141 Twenty-two-year-old Elma Sands is found murdered in a Manhattan well on January 2nd, 1800. Her lover, wealthy and well-connected Levi Weeks, is accused of the barbaric offense. Weeks brings in the nation’s best legal defense team – none other than Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr – to clear his name while a pandemic-stricken New York City buzzes with scandal. This six-episode true story unfolds o

Episode 1 | The First Murder Trial... Oct 18, 2023 2334 Welcome to the first murder trial in the American judicial system; it’s March 31, 1800 and you are here. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr defend their client, Levi Weeks, who’s been charged with the beating and murder of his girlfriend Elma Sands. In this episode, Elma’s cousin recounts the night of the murder. Elma’s uncle creates chaos in the courtroom. Several boarders from their house testify

Episode 2 | The Screams... Oct 18, 2023 2131 Colden scrambles to debunk the suicide theory, calling witnesses who heard Elma’s screams the night of the murder. The defense team implicates Elma’s uncle Elias Ring in her death. Plus, a hectic interrogation of the murder site - Burr’s company’s well on land that he owns - which became notorious the moment Elma’s body was pulled out of water. Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is released weekly,

Episode 3 | The Injuries... Oct 25, 2023 1683 Men’s Lunch on January 2nd, 1800 was interrupted when four men and a child discovered Elma’s mangled corpse in the Manhattan Well. Catherine Ring displayed Elma’s body outside their home on Greenwich Street, to show the world the damages and demand justice. Colden calls two expert witnesses to analyze the wounds on the corpse, hoping to close his case on a high note. Plus, the jurors make a reques

Episode 4 | The Tea... Nov 1, 2023 1726 An explosive secret from a Greenwich Street neighbor reveals that Elma’s home environment was different than her cousin described it. An unconventional testimony takes Colden by surprise, and he’s powerless over the barrage of doctors that Burr and Hamilton call to the witness stand. Colden turns the jury’s attention to Levi’s brother Ezra Weeks. Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is released weekl

Episode 5 | The Anxiety... Nov 8, 2023 1810 The lawyers interrogate the likelihood of Ezra and Levi going to the Manhattan Well after tea with the McCombs. An expert measurer, who visited Levi in jail before the trial, speaks on the Weeks Brothers’ behalf. Ezra Weeks’ relationship to the murder site is deeper than anyone realized. Elma’s reputation is called into question. Plus, the defense lawyer's questions shed new light on Richard Crouc

Episode 6 |The Verdict... Nov 15, 2023 1781 The Court has heard from seventy five witnesses. Aaron Burr makes a closing statement for the defense; Colden makes a final plea to the judge, then cracks from exhaustion. Levi’s brother Ezra is further implicated in the crime. In flashbacks, Elma prepares to say her vows; the lawyers prepare for trial. The verdict is announced. Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is available wherever you get your

Introducing - Bone Valley Season 5 | The Devil's Quarry Jun 3, 2026 188 In the woods outside Carmel, New York, a hunter finds the bones of a twelve-year-old girl. She had been missing. The people meant to protect her had looked the other way. Police set their sights on two teenage drug dealers, who are convicted of her murder and sent to prison.But this is just the beginning of the story. Now, buried records, ignored warnings, and a justice system that may have gotten

Introducing - Bone Valley Season 5 | The Devil's Quarry: Preview Jun 10, 2026 458 In the woods outside Carmel, New York, a hunter finds the bones of a twelve-year-old girl. She had been missing. The people meant to protect her had looked the other way. Police set their sights on two teenage drug dealers, who are convicted of her murder and sent to prison.But this is just the beginning of the story. Now, buried records, ignored warnings, and a justice system that may have gotten

Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands

Episodes

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