Sword and Scale
Subscribed: 408,857Played: 13,177,930
Subscribe
© Copyright 2014-Present, Incongruity LLC
Description
Sword and Scale is a weekly true crime podcast covering the dark underworld of crime and the criminal justice system’s response to it. The first episode launched January 1st, 2014 and feature stories of murder, abduction, rape, and even more bizarre forms of crime. It’s the purest form of true-crime where the raw uncensored audio tells the story. Everything from 911 calls to court testimony, interviews with victims and sometimes with perpetrators give listeners a 360 degree look at the seedy underbelly of human nature and so-called civilized society. Sword and scale proves that the worst monsters are real.
Episodes missing from the free feed are premium "+PLUS" episodes, and can be found at swordandscale.com.
Episodes missing from the free feed are premium "+PLUS" episodes, and can be found at swordandscale.com.
69 Episodes
Reverse
3It was a quiet Shabbat Saturday in Boca Raton, Florida. The Jewish community was shut off from the world for their holy day of rest, but inside Tzvi Allswang’s house on Larkspur Trail, one social worker was trapped in every woman’s worst nightmare.
The calm of a suburban street in Youngstown, Ohio, was shattered when a sudden explosion ripped through a home, leaving witnesses stunned as they watched their neighbors’ house consumed by flames. The fire claimed the lives of the homeowners, Bill and Judy Schmidt, and as police delved into the case, they uncovered a shocking truth: this was no accident, but a calculated act of arson. At the heart of this twisted crime was an unlikely person—a ten-year-old girl named Corrine Gump.
Ashley Bocanegra told everyone the attack was random, but deep down, she knew it wasn’t. Hours later, she was dead, and her attackers were on the hook for murder. What no one realized was that Ashley had been hiding a secret, and it was one she was determined to take to her grave.
On June 5th, 1994, a young woman and her dog stumbled upon a dismembered torso behind a gas station dumpster in a quiet Florida town, setting off an investigation that would span decades. As the case went cold, a dark figure remained hidden in plain sight, only to resurface years later. When a missing person’s flier related to the disappearance of 16-year-old Fred Laster sparked new interest, a shocking family connection led detectives to a seemingly upstanding youth pastor with a sinister past.
On March 20, 2017, Tahirih Lua D’Angelo was found brutally murdered in her Riverview, Florida home. Investigators quickly realized this was a personal attack when they discovered she had been killed on her 39th birthday. Suspicion only deepened when a bloodied aluminum baseball bat with the word "Rampage" imprinted on the side, was located by the front door…
When 23-year-old Ellie Weik vanished from her West Chester, Ohio home on July 29, 2018, her journal entries and messages revealed a dangerous presence in her life. Over the course of a month, detectives unraveled a web of deception, catfishing, and stalking, all leading to someone she already knew.
Some men think marriage means control, a game of blackmail sealed with secrets. Mark-Eric Ponsati thought he’d silenced his wife for good. But some things refuse to stay buried. Even in death, they’d come back to haunt him.
In 1990, 11-year-old Robin Cornell and 32-year-old Lisa Story were brutally assaulted and murdered in their Cape Coral home. For over two decades, the case remained unsolved, leaving their families and community desperate for closure. Then, a single piece of evidence—a DNA match—finally brought an answer. But with that answer came an even deeper question: Are we all born free of evil, is it something that can grow within us over time?
One morning, seven-year-old Adrian woke up to a confusing and upsetting scene at home. As he tries to understand what's happening, we learn about the hidden problems and growing conflicts among the adults in his life. This child's confusion turns into a harsh reality that will have a lasting impact on his world.
When 14-year-old Alianna Defreeze didn’t come home from school one January afternoon, her parents knew something terrible had happened. Police would follow clues from video surveillance to find the monster that was responsible for one of the most unjust crimes Cleveland had ever seen.
On January 11, 2018, a routine house fire revealed something much more sinister. 28-year-old Elisabeth Bell had burned to death on the second floor of her small eastside home in Buffalo. But as investigators pieced together the how, the real mystery remained as to why?
On Mother’s Day weekend in 2021, a brutal crime shattered an affluent neighborhood in St. Johns, Florida. When 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey was reported missing, the community mobilized, unaware of the dark secrets lurking just beneath the surface. As investigators closed in on a suspect, it became clear that some of the most chilling betrayals came from those closest to home.
In November 2021, beloved Fairfield, Iowa, Spanish teacher Nohema Graber vanished during her routine walk in Chautauqua Park. Her body was found the next day, hidden under a tarp with signs of trauma. As investigators dug deeper, unsettling ties to students and school officials emerged, leaving the town to question who was responsible—and why.
When a welfare check on Sherry Harlan led the Snohomish County police to her tattered and bloody apartment, they knew something much more sinister had happened. But an investigation would soon uncover a murder twisted up in pagan magic.
It was just after Christmas in 2011, and 22-year-old college cheerleader Saleha Huuda was found dead and burning in a brush fire on the side of the Gainesville Raceway. As the police tried to figure out how this happy-go-lucky student was murdered, they uncovered a twisted story of lies and sex all revolving around one selfish person.
On the morning of June 14, 2012, 31-year-old Adam Chase stormed out of his home in Stanley, NY, following a heated argument with his wife, Rose. Hours turned into days, and Adam seemed to vanish without a trace. When former deputy-turned-private investigator Rodney Miller caught wind of the case, his instincts led him to one major suspicion- which was the possibility that Adam Chase never left his home.
21-year-old Lauren Kukla spent her life holding her family together - a Michigan household defined by chaos, addiction, and mental illness. Unlike her troubled siblings, Lauren had managed to stay grounded, becoming the caretaker and peacekeeper. While she was preoccupied with managing each crisis on the surface, the deeper issues went unnoticed. By the time Lauren realized what was happening, it was too late.
On May 8th, 2008, an intruder entered the home of 53-year-old Thomas Randolph and his wife Sharon. The masked man waited until the couple arrived home from date night in downtown Las Vegas, and shot Sharon in the head as soon as she walked through the door. When Thomas discovered the grisly scene, he shot the intruder. This case was much more complicated than anyone bargained for. 16 years later, it’s still ongoing.
In June of 2014, 16-year-old Gina Burger went missing from her home in Austintown, Ohio. Two days after she was reported missing, Gina was found 50 miles away, in another state. Her lifeless body was discovered among trash, in a landfill.
Wanted to take a minute to send you a holiday message. Take care.If you're having a tough time and need someone to talk to, please call 988.You're not bothering anyone. That's that it's for. Use it.We'll be back in January!Happy Holidays & Stay Safe,MB & S&S Staff
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
Such a scary story. ugh! both of these ladies are amazing. I cannot imagine the horror they felt.. I wish for them healing and peace..
Mike is still kicking ass and still going strong 🥳keep up the fantastic job and keep playing that awesome music. don't let haters get to you. they just don't like hearing the truth and they don't understand you have a choice not to listen.. don't ruin it for those who love podcast. keep telling us about all monsters in world and that' goes for the haters as well😉
sorry but 22:04 and I'm out of here... it's making me cry so fucking much Jesus what the fuck... somebody had to know this monster was a monster... WTF
I want to kill this fuck so bad
I'm not at the end of the episode yet I'm only halfway through please tell me that this piece of s*** Robert ends up dead by the end of this
I don't normally comment, but this episode pussed me off so bad. what a disgusting piece of S***!!!!!
"you can't be a mom and a dumb bitch at the same time "
I wonder what Mike did.
guy should've been scooped up a long time ago
starts @3:21
20:00
the audio from the video of him saying "I can't breath" is horrific
I love the coinciding to this episode. Good job Mike! I have watched sister in law's interview on YouTube and it is sickening. That girl is a psycho!
romanticizing having an affair at thr end part. ick.no one deserves to die but maybe if her lover boy had been a man and left his girlfriend, or maybe if she had been a woman and left her relationship. Seems like the type of person who wanted her cake and to eat it too. imagine growing up as her kid knowing this is why and how your mom died. fucken he'll.
another source claims that Daniel and Ashley had a 7 year old son together at the time of the incident and that they had been messing around together on and off since and that's why they both had moved from the same state too the same state as each other, maybe true but I'm not sure.
One of those cases that make you sick if you happen to come across them on YouTube; Antonetta is nasty but her sister-in-law...
such a frustrating stop-start cadence to mike's narration.. never used to be like this
This is a twisted case..for real..I like how the lady cop said aww that’s sweet to that guy..that was so fake..I would’ve gave her the side eyes for that..lol..
when o click on the episode to play it, I can only play 1 minute and 46 seconds. is this an issue in my end?
one of the most tragic stories to hear