Episode 651: Jean Harris and the Murder of Herman Tarnower (Part 1)

When Ginger Hinshaw first saw Summerwind in the summer of 1969, she knew she had to have the house. Recently remarried and looking for a new home for her large family, she convinced her husband, Arnold, to buy the house and the two planned to renovate the place together, since all of their resources were tied up in the house. Ginger couldn’t believe her luck, but very soon after moving in, Ginger’s luck seemed to have run out. When the Hinshaws moved into Summerwind, they were the picture of a happy American family. But just a few months later, Arnold’s personality had changed entirely, as the house began to possess him and take him over completely. In time, the marriage fell apart and the family fled the house, but that was only the beginning.

When Colton Harris-Moore was ten years old, a series of unfortunate events turned his world upside-down. Within a few months, his behavior worsened significantly, he became destructive and defiant, and he began what would be a considerable criminal career that would eventually reach epic proportions.

In the winter of 1998, a general practitioner in Manchester, England, noticed that one of her colleagues, Dr. Harold Shipman, appeared to have an unusually high death rate among his elderly female patients. An inquiry was opened into the matter, but it went nowhere and was quickly closed with no finding of wrongdoing. Then, in August, another accusation was leveled at Shipman: he was responsible for killing more than twenty of his patients. This time, the inquiry was taken more seriously and the reality was far worse than anyone could have imagined. The arrest and prosecution of Harold Shipman rocked England’s medical community and shocked people around the world. Although he was ultimately charged with and convicted of fifteen murders, investigators suspect Shipman of having killed as many as two hundred and fifty people over the course of his career, making him the most prolific killer in the nation’s history.

In the winter of 1998, a general practitioner in Manchester, England, noticed that one of her colleagues, Dr. Harold Shipman, appeared to have an unusually high death rate among his elderly female patients. An inquiry was opened into the matter, but it went nowhere and was quickly closed with no finding of wrongdoing. Then, in August, another accusation was leveled at Shipman: he was responsible for killing more than twenty of his patients. This time, the inquiry was taken more seriously and the reality was far worse than anyone could have imagined.

Weirdos! It's almost HalloWEEEEEEEEN! So grab your pillowcase, don your spookiest costume, and get ready to be treated to some iconic listener tales! To celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, Deb has curated a batch of spooky tales that are BY you FOR you and ALL ABOUT YOU! Don't forget to check out the YOUTUBE version to fully experience the iconic costumes, because Ash & Alaina are serving this month! If you’ve got a listener tale please send it to Deb by emailing us at [email protected] with “Listener Tales” somewhere in the subject line, and if you share pictures, please let us know if we can share them with fellow weirdos! :)