On a quiet Monday morning in January 1979, shots rang out from a house across the street from Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. The shooter was 16-year-old Brenda Spencer, armed with a rifle her father had given her for Christmas. By the time the chaos ended, the principal and a custodian were dead, and eight children and a police officer were wounded.

When asked why she did it, Brenda chillingly replied, "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day." That haunting statement soon echoed around the world—not just in news reports, but in a song. Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats, fronted by Bob Geldof, were so disturbed by the story that they wrote "I Don’t Like Mondays," a hit that captured the senselessness and tragedy of the attack.

In this episode, we explore Brenda Spencer’s life leading up to the shooting, the events of that morning, and how a mass shooting at a school helped give rise to one of the most haunting pop songs of the era.

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As a train traveled from Phoenix to Los Angeles, staff grew uneasy. A foul smell was coming from two trunks belonging to a young female passenger. That unease turned to horror when they noticed blood seeping from the cracks. Hoping it was something as simple as spoiled meat, they alerted police to inspect the trunks upon arrival.

At the station, officers stopped the petite woman walking away from the luggage—her name was Winnie Ruth Judd. When asked about the trunks, she claimed her husband had the keys... then dropped them and ran. Inside were the bodies of her two closest friends, Agnes Anne LeRoi and Hedvig "Sammy" Samuelson. How did they end up dismembered and hidden in trunks, traveling by train with the woman they once trusted? And where did Ruth go? This chilling case captivated the nation and even inspired an all-puppet film, Murderess: The Winnie Ruth Judd Story, written and directed by Scott Coblio. Join us as we unpack the bizarre, bloody mystery of the “Trunk Murders.”

Sources:

“Gettysburg Times - Google News Archive Search.” Google.com, 2025, news.google.com/newspapers?id=tMQlAAAAIBAJ&pg=7051. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

John, Finn J.D. “Offbeat Oregon: Oregonians Played Prominent Role in 1930s’ Most Horrific Murder.” The Lincoln County Leader, 5 Mar. 2021,

www.thenewsguard.com/community/offbeat-oregon-oregonians-played-prominent-role-in-1930s-most-horrific-murder/article_b9009184-7d2a-11eb-a0d7-63595170049c.html. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

“Murder & Mayhem - the Strange Saga of Winnie Ruth Judd.” Arizona Memory Project, azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/303.

Pela, Robrt L. “Phoenix New Times.” Phoenix New Times, 24 Sept. 2014, www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/ruthless-a-long-lost-confession-letter-may-finally-tell-the-real-story-of-winnie-ruth-judd-6657689.

THE. “American Hauntings.” American Hauntings, 2025, www.americanhauntingsink.com/trunk-murderess. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

“The Story of the Phoenix “Trunk Murderess” Winnie Ruth Judd.” The Arizona Republic, 2025, www.azcentral.com/picture-gallery/news/local/phoenix/2024/11/25/phoenix-trunk-murderess-winnie-ruth-judd/74188821007/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

“The Twisted Tale of Winnie Ruth Judd: Phoenix’s Favorite Murderess | the Order of the Good Death.” The Twisted Tale of Winnie Ruth Judd: Phoenix’s Favorite Murderess | the Order of the Good Death, 2024, www.orderofthegooddeath.com/article/the-twisted-tale-of-winnie-ruth-judd-phoenixs-favorite-murderess/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Winnie Ruth Judd.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Feb. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie_Ruth_Judd.

“Winnie Ruth Judd Reminiscences Letter.” Arizona Memory Project, 2025, azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/94275. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

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In this episode, we delve into one of South Korea’s most infamous unsolved mysteries: the Frog Boys Murders. What began as a simple day of adventure for five young boys on March 26, 1991, turned into a decades-long nightmare filled with unanswered questions, police missteps, and lingering grief.

The boys—aged 9 to 13—left their homes in Daegu, South Korea, to search for salamander eggs on the slopes of Mt. Waryong. But they never returned. What followed was a desperate and highly publicized search, with the entire country gripped by their mysterious disappearance.

For 11 years, their fate remained unknown until 2002, when their skeletal remains were discovered in a remote area of the mountain. Initial reports suggested they may have died from exposure, but forensic examinations indicated blunt force trauma to their skulls, pointing toward foul play.

We explore the botched investigation, theories surrounding their deaths—including speculation about a possible military cover-up—and the lasting impact on South Korean society. From grieving families demanding justice to the chilling possibility that their killer (or killers) may still be out there, this case remains one of South Korea’s most haunting mysteries.

Join us as we dissect the evidence, examine the theories, and reflect on the heartbreaking legacy of the Frog Boys Murders.

Sources:

“In 1991 Five Boys Went Searching for Frogs. Their Bodies Were Discovered 11 Years Later.” Mamamia, 26 Aug. 2019, www.mamamia.com.au/frog-boys/.

“Intrigue, Scandal, Heartbreak: The Case of South Korea’s Missing “Frog Boys.”” CNA, www.channelnewsasia.com/cnainsider/intrigue-scandal-heartbreak-case-south-korea-missing-frog-boys-774406.

“KSIS : What Happened to the Frog Boys?” KSTATION TV, 13 Nov. 2024, kstationtv.com/2024/11/13/ksis-what-happened-to-the-frog-boys/?lang=en. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Frog Boys.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Jan. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog_Boys.

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