In March 1954, 25-year-old Constance Fisher was living with her husband, Carl, and their three young children in Waterville, Maine. In part one of this case, we look into Constance's struggle with severe mental illness following childbirth. Following a voice she believed was God's, she drowned her three children–Richard, 6, Daniel, 4, and baby Deborah in the family home before attempting to take her own life. She was committed to Augusta State Hospital, where doctors treated her for serious psychiatric illness.

Five years later, Constance was released and returned to her husband. The couple rebuilt their life and had more children. Then, on June 30, 1966, history repeated itself.

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This episode of Hitched to Homicide discusses suicide, postpartum depression, severe mental illness, and the deaths of children. Some listeners may find these topics distressing. Please take care of yourself and consider skipping this episode if you are feeling vulnerable.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or may act on thoughts of self-harm, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. In the United States, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day. For pregnancy and postpartum mental-health support, call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA—that’s 1-833-852-6262—for free, confidential support.

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Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt looked more like retirees than ruthless killers, but prosecutors said the two women spent years building an elaborate life insurance murder scheme in Los Angeles.

Their victims, Paul Vados and Kenneth McDavid, were vulnerable men living on the margins when Golay and Rutterschmidt entered their lives with offers of food, housing, and help. Behind that apparent generosity, the women secured multiple life insurance policies, fabricated personal and financial relationships, and waited for the policies to mature.

Then both men died in separate apparent hit-and-run incidents.

What first looked like two unrelated tragedies eventually unraveled into a chilling case of fraud, greed, and murder. Insurance records, surveillance footage, towing records, forensic evidence, and DNA beneath a Mercury Sable helped investigators connect the women to both deaths and expose a scheme worth millions.

Known as The Black Widows of L.A., Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt were ultimately convicted of murdering Paul Vados and Kenneth McDavid and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

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In September 1921, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was one of the most recognizable figures in American entertainment: a silent-film comedian, director, and major Paramount star. Virginia Rappe was a model, designer, and working actress with ambitions of her own in the young film industry.

After both attended a Labor Day gathering in Arbuckle’s suite at San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel, Rappe became critically ill. She died four days later from peritonitis associated with a ruptured bladder. What happened in the hotel rooms—and what caused her fatal injury—became the subject of competing accounts, disputed medical testimony, and one of the most sensational criminal cases of the 1920s.

Arbuckle was charged in connection with Rappe’s death and faced three manslaughter trials. The first two trials ended in hung juries. In April 1922, the third jury acquitted him and issued an extraordinary statement arguing that he had been treated unjustly. But the legal verdict did not end the public scandal. Newspapers had already circulated lurid allegations, including claims never established by forensic evidence, while Rappe’s private life and reputation were publicly attacked in ways that reflected the era’s deep misogyny and victim-blaming culture.

In this episode, we reconstruct the party at the St. Francis Hotel, trace Virginia Rappe’s life before the scandal, examine the accusations made by Maude Delmont, follow the contested medical and courtroom evidence, and explore why Arbuckle’s career never recovered despite his acquittal. We also investigate how the case helped fuel anti-Hollywood outrage and strengthened calls for the movie industry to regulate its stars and public image.This is not a story with a neat conclusion. It is a case shaped by a woman’s death, disputed testimony, unreliable reporting, celebrity power, public prejudice, and the enduring difference between a courtroom verdict and historical certainty.

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#RoscoeArbuckle #VirginiaRappe #TrueCrime #HollywoodHistory #SilentFilm #OldHollywood #HistoricalTrueCrime #TrueCrimeDocumentary #1920s #FilmHistory

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