Crime To Burn
Crime To Burn

Crime To Burn

lilpyrogirl

Overview
Episodes

Details

A true crime podcast where we explore the dark sooty landscape of crimes involving fire including arson and criminal negligence. Join us as we explore what really happened in some of the most horrific criminal fires in history. Hosted by April and some guy that’s seen Backdraft at least twice.

Recent Episodes

Burn, Marry, Kill - The Wicked Web of Sarah Hartsfield
NOV 16, 2025
Burn, Marry, Kill - The Wicked Web of Sarah Hartsfield
Episode 88 Sarah Hartsfield didn’t weave a web of silk — she wove a web of control.A web of manipulation.A web she masked with charisma and charm until it finally snapped under its own weight. In October 2025, a jury convicted Sarah Hartsfield of murdering her husband, Joseph Hartsfield, after deliberating for just one hour. One hour — despite the fact that the physical evidence was thin, the investigation delayed, and the medical questions complex. But what wasn’t thin was the pattern that emerged the moment investigators stepped back and looked at Sarah’s life in full. In this episode, we strip away the decades of allegations — the shootings, the fires, the chaos — and start exactly where the jury started: with Joe’s death.With the 911 call.With the deleted searches.With the late-night texts from a man who should have been unconscious.With the video Sarah recorded of her husband gasping for breath. Then we will explore what prosecutors revealed once the pattern of Sarah’s past began to surface — a shocking trail of manipulation, alleged violence, suspicious fires, and the relentless pursuit of control that followed Sarah from childhood to court. This is not just the story of one death.It’s the story of a woman who built an entire life on domination — a Black Widow who spun a web so tangled that, in the end, she became trapped in it herself. Welcome to “Burn, Marry, Kill: The Wicked Web of Sarah Hartsfield.”A story of murder, manipulation, and the flames she allegedly used to keep control. Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Tim Stelloh, Kelley Moody, Mario J. Garcia, Vince Sturla.After woman was charged in her husband’s murder, authorities take a fresh look at other deaths close to her.NBC News. April 28, 2023.https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sarah-hartsfield-alleged-murder-husband-david-bragg-dateline-rcna81260 KPRC 2 Click2Houston (YouTube).Sarah Hartsfield Trial: Bombshell phone records from Sarah show contradicting story.Posted October 8, 2025.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHDVdNpTuZI Bryce Newberry, Bill Carruthers, Wlad Moquete, Adrian Montes, Adrian Crooks, Matt James, Ana Lastra.The Two Sides of Sarah: Chambers County woman accused of murdering husband Joseph Hartsfield.Click2Houston. Published May 18, 2023; updated February 23, 2024.https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2023/05/18/the-two-sides-of-sarah-chambers-county-woman-accused-of-murdering-husband-joseph-hartsfield/ KPRC 2 Click2Houston (YouTube).New Evidence in Sarah Hartsfield Trial | Toxicology shows insulin, possible prescriptions.Posted October 1, 2025.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzyHJHmWBsA KPRC 2 Click2Houston (YouTube).Lead detective details phone data, deleted messages in Sarah Hartsfield’s insulin murder trial.Posted October 7, 2025.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKAB5PAo4kU FOX 26 Houston (YouTube).Sarah Hartsfield murder
play-circle icon
45 MIN
Dual Disasters: The Dawson Mine Explosions
NOV 9, 2025
Dual Disasters: The Dawson Mine Explosions
Episode 87 Hidden beneath the hills of northeast New Mexico lies a ghost that industry left behind. Dawson was once a model mining town — a company-built community boasting schools, golf courses, and an opera house. Phelps Dodge called it progress. But twice, in just ten years, that progress went up in smoke. In 1913 and again in 1923, massive explosions ripped through Dawson’s coal mines, killing 383 miners — fathers, sons, and brothers — in two of the deadliest mining disasters in American history. This episode digs deep into how “safety-forward” operations, good intentions, and one impatient decision turned an idealized town into a field of iron crosses. We’ll explore coal dust explosions, early fire protection efforts underground, and how greed, apathy, and bad timing turned progress into tragedy. Because when profit becomes the accelerant… all it takes is a spark. Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Pappas, Nick. Crosses of Iron: The Tragic Story of Dawson, New Mexico, and Its Twin Mining Disasters. Foreword by Richard Melzer. University of New Mexico Press, 2023. ISBN 978-0-8263-6528-6 (paper), 978-0-8263-6529-3 (electronic).Library of Congress Control Number: 2023940430. https://a.co/d/8sTa5em Sharpe, Tom. “Remembering the Dawson Mining Disaster, 100 Years Later.” The Santa Fe New Mexican, October 19, 2013.https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/remembering-the-dawson-mining-disaster-100-years-later/article_446074ce-ea6b-54cf-a818-992408f6a398.html Villa, Elizabeth. “Dawson, NM: Booming Mine Town Turned Ghost Town.” New Mexico State University Archives Blog, posted May 3, 2022.https://nmsu.libguides.com/blogs/asc/openstacks/posts/Dawson-NM-Booming-mine-town-turned-ghost-town Hawker Vanguard. “Eerie Enchantment: Dawson, New Mexico.” KOB4 News, published November 1, 2024.https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/eerie-enchantment-dawson-history/
play-circle icon
43 MIN
France's Disco Inferno: The Club Cinq-Sept Fire
NOV 2, 2025
France's Disco Inferno: The Club Cinq-Sept Fire
Episode 86 In the early hours of November 1st, 1970, celebration turned to catastrophe when a fire tore through the Club Cinq-Sept near Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France. Within minutes, 146 young people were dead — trapped behind padlocked exits, a full-height turnstile, and flammable décor that turned the dance floor into a death trap. This wasn’t just a fire — it was the inevitable result of greed, negligence, and a system that valued profit over safety. In this episode, April breaks down how the building’s design doomed its occupants, why its owners never should’ve been allowed to open, and how French philosopher Guy Debord later used the tragedy to expose the rot beneath a complacent society. Because not every fire should keep burning — and some should have never started at all. Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  The Raven’s Eye. France’s Worst Discotheque Fire – The Horror of the Club 5-7 Disaster. YouTube, Sept 12 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ_C77jqfW4&t=9s Manic Manor Podcast. The Club Cinq-Sept Fire. YouTube, Mar 19 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lnQIkFvw7s Time Magazine. France: An Unusual Silence. Nov 16 1970. https://time.com/archive/6838296/france-an-unusual-silence/ Guy Debord. On the Fire of Saint-Laurent-du-Pont (1971). Translated from French; introduction by René Viénet. BBC News. 1970: Nightclub Inferno ‘Wipes Out a Generation’. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/1/newsid_2537000/2537937.stm Associated Press. 142 Are Killed by Fire in Locked Dance Hall in France. The New York Times, Nov 2 1970. https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/02/archives/142-are-killed-by-fire-in-locked-dance-hall-in-france-20-survive.html
play-circle icon
43 MIN
Devil's Night: Detroit's Arson Reckoning
OCT 26, 2025
Devil's Night: Detroit's Arson Reckoning
Episode 85 Each October, the city of Detroit braced for three nights of chaos known as Devil’s Night—a grim tradition of arson and destruction that peaked in the 1980s with hundreds of fires set across the city. But behind the headlines and the flames lies a story of resilience, strategy, and a community that refused to burn. In this episode, we take you inside the rise and fall of Devil’s Night—how economic collapse, political scandal, and desperation turned mischief into mayhem, and how Detroit’s residents, firefighters, and city leaders fought back through the “Angels’ Night” campaign. We’ll trace the legacy of those fire-filled nights and ask: what happens when a city becomes known not for its industry, but for its inferno? Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  Maciak, Barbara, PhD, MPH, et al. (1999). Preventing Halloween Arson in Urban Settings: A Model for Multisectoral Planning and Community Participation. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. JSTOR link Zaharan, Sammy, et al. (2019). Hidden Costs of Blight and Arson in Detroit: Evidence From a Natural Experiment in Devil’s Night. Ecological Economics, Volume 158, pp. 266–277. ScienceDirect link Anonymous (2021, October 31). The Devil’s Night: On the Ungovernable Spirit of Halloween. Ill Will Editions. illwill.com/devils-night Chafets, Ze’ev. (1990). Devil’s Night and Other True Tales of Detroit. Random House. LeDuff, Charlie. (2013). Detroit: An American Autopsy. Penguin Books.
play-circle icon
38 MIN
Bonus Episode: Interview with Arnie Bernstein (Author of Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing)
OCT 21, 2025
Bonus Episode: Interview with Arnie Bernstein (Author of Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing)
Episode 84: In this week’s bonus episode of Crime to Burn, April sits down with author Arnie Bernstein to discuss the 1927 Bath School disaster, the investigation that followed, and what it takes to responsibly tell true stories of mass violence nearly a century later.Together, they explore how the bombing changed one American town — and why its echoes still shape today’s conversations about justice, memory, and the human cost of tragedy. Arnie Bernstein’s Website: arniebernstein.comArnie’s Substack – The Typewriter’s Collage: arniebernstein.substack.comBuy the Book: Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 
play-circle icon
56 MIN