399:  The Life & Crimes of Robert Spears w/ Jerry Jamison

399: The Life & Crimes of Robert Spears w/ Jerry Jamison

Author: Blue Ewe Media July 23, 2025 Duration: 1:46:18
"Doctor" Robert Spears was arguably one of the greatest con artists of the twentieth century, and very likely a mass murderer. In thirty nine years of grift, he had 25 aliases, 28 arrests in 20 cities, and was imprisoned close to a dozen times. He performed, without any medical degree, abortions on countless women, and in 1959 tricked his best friend into taking his place on an airplane. That plane exploded in mid-air, killing 42 passengers, and allowed Spears to briefly escape his legal woes and start a new life under yet another new identity. My guest is Jerry Jamison, and his book is called "Vanishing Act: A Crashed Airliner, Faked Death, and Backroom Abortions". He share details of this too-crazy-to-believe-but-still-true story with me on this latest episode of Most Notorious. The author's website: https://jerryjamison.com/ Jerry Jamison on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerryjamisonauthor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Step back in time and explore the darkest corners of the past with Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast. This isn't just another crime show; it's a deep dive into the historical context that shaped infamous acts and the figures behind them. From the ruthless gangsters of the Prohibition era to the chilling methods of Victorian-era murderers, each episode unpacks a story rooted in its specific moment in history. Host Erik Rivenes acts as your guide, conducting thoughtful interviews with authors and historians who have dedicated years to researching their subjects. These conversations move beyond sensational headlines to deliver nuanced narratives filled with detail and scholarly accuracy. You'll hear about forgotten tragedies, legendary outlaws, and societal disasters, all presented with a focus on understanding the why and how within the framework of the past. Tune in for a compelling blend of education and narrative, where every story is a piece of historical truth, often more fascinating and complex than fiction. This podcast from Blue Ewe Media connects the dots between crime and history, offering a rich, thoroughly researched listening experience for anyone curious about the shadows cast across different centuries.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis - Southern Gothic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:31
Just off the old Natchez Trace, in the quiet woods of Tennessee, stands a broken marble column marking the grave of Meriwether Lewis. The monument was meant to honor one of America’s greatest explorers, but its shattered…
410: The 1856 Dublin Railway Murder w/ Thomas Morris [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:12
In November 1856, Dublin was shaken by the murder of George Little, chief cashier at the Broadstone railway terminus. He was found in his office, beaten and with his throat cut, thousands of pounds worth of gold and silv…
MoNo Encore: The Car Barn Murders w/ Karen Smith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:08
(Orig pub date 8/15/23) In the early morning of January 21st, 1935 two employees of the Capital Transit Company in Chevy Chase, Maryland were cold-bloodedly gunned down. One of the men murdered was my guest's great-great…
409:  The Scientist & the Serial Killer w/ Lise Olsen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:46
In "The Scientist and the Serial Killer: The Search for Houston’s Lost Boys", investigative journalist Lise Olsen tells the gripping true-crime story behind the “Lost Boys” murders in 1970s Houston, when more than two do…
408:  The Murder of Cecelia Gullivan w/ Jeffrey L. Amestoy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:33
In November 1926, Cecelia Gullivan, treasurer of the Cone Automatic Machine company of Windsor, Vermont, was brutally killed in her home. Local police quickly arrested Cone Automatic machinist John Winters on suspicion o…
407:  The Thames Torso Murders w/ Sarah Bax Horton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:24
Victorian London is often remembered for the Ripper murders, yet at the same time another equally chilling series of slayings unfolded. Between 1887 and 1889, the dismembered bodies of four women appeared along the Thame…
406:  The Murder of Jujube Heiress Ruth Quinn w/ Taylor Kiland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:10
The small Southern California island of Coronado rarely makes news for violent crime. But in the spring of 1975, World War II widow and retired librarian Ruth Quinn was murdered, execution-style, in her cottage. Her deat…
MoNo Encore: The Murder of Dr. W.D. Broadhurst w/ Patrick Gallagher [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:56
(Orig pub date: 2/15/22) In October of 1946, a chiropractor and rancher named Willis "W.D." Broadhurst was beaten with a wrench and finished off with a shotgun on a lonely eastern Oregon road. Investigators would soon ac…
405:  A History of Eugenics in America w/ Mark A. Torres [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:20
In the early twentieth century, eugenics captivated scientists and the public alike, giving researchers license to exploit the infirm, the mentally ill, prisoners, Native communities and many others considered "defective…
404:  Gunfighter Clay Allison w/ Donna Blake Birchell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:47
Clay Allison was both liked and loathed in his lifetime, embodying the contradictions of the American frontier. He could show moments of kindness for the downtrodden, but also carried deep hatred for Northerners and Blac…