Residue: A True Crime Podcast

<div> <p>In December 2019, 33-year-old Heidi Broussard disappeared in Austin,TX along with her three-week-old daughter, Margot Carey, shortly after dropping her older child off at school. </p><p>The case was dramatized in the 2023 Lifetime television film Stolen Baby: The Murder of Heidi Broussard, directed by Michelle Ouellet. The movie stars Emily Osment as Fieramusca and Anna Hopkins as Heidi Broussard, and follows the events leading up to Heidi’s disappearance, the growing suspicions surrounding her friend, and the investigation that ultimately uncovered the truth. The film presents a dramatized but largely faithful retelling of the crime, emphasizing the shocking betrayal at its center and the tense search that led to the baby’s rescue.</p><p>Sources:<br><a href="https://www.aetv.com/articles/why-heidi-broussard-s-best-friend-killed-her-and-kidnapped-her-baby">https://www.aetv.com/articles/why-heidi-broussard-s-best-friend-killed-her-and-kidnapped-her-baby</a><br><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/04/us/heidi-broussard-murder-fieramusca-guilty-plea">https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/04/us/heidi-broussard-murder-fieramusca-guilty-plea</a><br>Dateline: Abducted <br>Stolen Baby: The Murder of Heidi Broussard <br><a href="https://www.fox7austin.com/news/magen-fieramusca-heidi-broussard-guilty-plea-murder-kidnapping-baby-austin-texas">https://www.fox7austin.com/news/magen-fieramusca-heidi-broussard-guilty-plea-murder-kidnapping-baby-austin-texas</a><br><a href="https://www.npr.org/2010/01/01/314255191/excerpt-maternal-desire">https://www.npr.org/2010/01/01/314255191/excerpt-maternal-desire</a><br><a href="https://www.johnsonfuneralhome.net/obituaries/heidi-elizabeth-broussard">https://www.johnsonfuneralhome.net/obituaries/heidi-elizabeth-broussard</a><br><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=megan+fieramusca+sentence&amp;rlz=1CAGZLV_enUS1160&amp;oq=megan+fieramusca+sentence&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAjIHCAIQIRiPAtIBCjEzMDQxajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBdVZ20LZOdcu8QXVWdtC2TnXLg&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:161bf9b6,vid:-9weGGoZe5I,st:0">https://www.google.com/search?q=megan+fieramusca+sentence&amp;rlz=1CAGZLV_enUS1160&amp;oq=megan+fieramusca+sentence&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAjIHCAIQIRiPAtIBCjEzMDQxajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBdVZ20LZOdcu8QXVWdtC2TnXLg&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:161bf9b6,vid:-9weGGoZe5I,st:0</a></p></div>

<div> <p>In this episode, we dive into the glitter-soaked rise and catastrophic fall of New York City’s infamous Club Kid scene, as portrayed in the film Party Monster. But beyond the tabloid-fueled fame lies a far darker true story — the murder of Andre "Angel" Melendez.</p><p>We explore how Michael Alig, once a self-proclaimed king of nightlife, built a celebrity persona in the early ’90s underground party world alongside figures like James St. James. Fueled by fame, excess, and escalating drug use, the scene spiraled into chaos culminating in Andre "Angel" Melendez’s brutal killing in 1996.</p><p>Sources:<br>Party Monster by James St. James<br>Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig <br><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/michael-alig-dead-club-kid-party-monster-1107737/">https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/michael-alig-dead-club-kid-party-monster-1107737/</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Melendez">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Melendez</a></p></div>

<div> <p>In this episode, we dig into the truth behind <em>Jennifer’s Body </em>the 2009 horror film that was initially dismissed and later reclaimed as a cult classic with feminist themes of female rage, power, and exploitation. While the movie is fictional, its central premise (a teenage girl sacrificed by a band seeking fame) echoes a disturbing real-life case that many viewers are unaware of. We examine the 1995 murder of Elyse Pahler, a 15-year-old girl from California who was killed by three teenage boys who claimed they were performing a ritual to help their own metal band succeed.</p><p>This episode walks through what happened to Elyse, how the case unfolded, and how her parents later filed a lawsuit against the band Slayer, arguing that violent lyrics and imagery influenced the killers — a case that was ultimately dismissed on First Amendment grounds. We explore how Elyse’s story became entangled in broader conversations about satanic panic, media blame, and moral responsibility in the 1990s. By separating fact from fiction, this episode centers the real tragedy behind the parallels and highlights the lasting impact of Elyse Pahler’s case beyond the courtroom.</p><p>Sources:<br>In the Name of Satan by Wensley Clarkson <br>A Killer Among Friends: episode 3 <br><a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/two-killers-from-shocking-satanic-teen-murder-case-paroled/">https://www.courthousenews.com/two-killers-from-shocking-satanic-teen-murder-case-paroled/</a><br>Wiki<br><a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/two-killers-from-shocking-satanic-teen-murder-case-paroled/">https://www.courthousenews.com/two-killers-from-shocking-satanic-teen-murder-case-paroled/</a></p></div>

<div> <p>In this episode, we unpack the story behind <em>Abducted Off the Street: The Carlesha Gaither Story</em> and the real-life survival of Carlesha Freeland-Gaither. On November 2, 2014, Carlesha was abducted while walking home in Philadelphia, a crime that was partially caught on surveillance footage and sparked a desperate search. Through the Lifetime film, viewers are taken inside the fear, resilience, and quick thinking that defined those terrifying days — including Carlesha’s bravery in leaving behind clues for detectives after she was taken.</p><p>Sources:<br>Abducted Off the Street: The Carlesha Gaither Story<br><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-philadelphia-abduction-found-alive-police/story?id=26706205">https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-philadelphia-abduction-found-alive-police/story?id=26706205</a><br><a href="https://www.aetv.com/articles/carlesha-gaither-abduction">https://www.aetv.com/articles/carlesha-gaither-abduction</a><br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ-oME48Pd4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ-oME48Pd4</a><br><a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/24/1040048967/missing-black-women-girls-left-out-media-ignored#:~:text=The%20media%20ignores%20missing%20Black,of%20the%20overall%20female%20population">https://www.npr.org/2021/09/24/1040048967/missing-black-women-girls-left-out-media-ignored#:~:text=The%20media%20ignores%20missing%20Black,of%20the%20overall%20female%20population</a>.</p></div>

In this episode, we examine An American Crime (2007), a harrowing film based on one of the most disturbing true crime cases in American history. The movie follows the story of Sylvia Likens, a teenage girl left in the care of Gertrude Baniszewski while her parents traveled for work. What begins as a temporary living arrangement quickly spirals into unimaginable cruelty, as Gertrude, her children, and neighborhood kids participate in escalating physical and psychological abuse. We also dive into the real-life case that inspired the film, exploring what actually happened to Sylvia Likens in 1965 and how closely the movie follows the facts. This episode discusses the social conditions, power dynamics, and warning signs that allowed the abuse to continue unchecked, as well as the legal consequences that followed. While deeply unsettling, this story raises critical questions about accountability, community responsibility, and how extreme harm can occur in plain sight. Listener discreti...