Jerry Bledsoe, North Carolina’s #1 New York Times bestselling true crime author, passed away on December 31, 2025, in Asheboro, NC. In honor of his life and legacy, we are re-releasing our two-part episode on Bitter Blood — the book that brought national attention to one of the most disturbing murder cases in North Carolina history.

Sources

We researched and built this episode using:

• Bledsoe, Jerry. Bitter Blood (book)
• Newspapers.com (archived newspaper reporting, obituaries, and contemporary coverage)
• FindAGrave.com (burial records and memorial details)

Credits

Hosted by: Darlene Hildreth & Melody Gwyn

Male Narration: Curtis Hildreth

Original Music: Isaiah Hildreth

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In this special Christmas episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we examine one of the most disturbing crimes in American history: The kidnapping and murder of Marion Parker in Los Angeles in 1927.

In December 1927, Los Angeles was rocked by the kidnapping and murder of Marion Parker, a crime so horrific it dominated national headlines and left a permanent mark on American true crime history.

This episode explores the details of the crime, the historical context of 1920s Los Angeles, and why the Marion Parker murder continues to haunt true crime history nearly a century later - especially during a season associated with family, innocence, and hope.

Listener discretion is advised.

Sources:

Book: Taylor, T. (2017). I Want To Come Home Tonight: The Haunting Story of Marion Parker. Whitechapel Productions. Narrated on Audible by Charles Huddleston

Where you can purchase the book: https://www.amazon.com/Want-Come-Home-Tonight-Haunting/dp/1892523833

Music credit: Music used in this episode appears courtesy of the audiobook narrator of I Want to Come Home Tonight: The Haunting Story of Marion Parker by Troy Talor and is used with permission.

www.newspapers.com

Narrator of episode: Curtis Hildreth

Send us a text

To purchase your merch - email us at hardtimesandtruecrimes@gmail.com with what you want, size, and a shipping address. We can accept Venmo or CashApp

Support the show

hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

Ronald Gene Simmons lived quietly in Arkansas throughout the 1980s, keeping mostly to himself and his large family. Outwardly, he appeared to be living a simple life in the country—but behind closed doors was a world shaped by control, fear, and long-term abuse.

In December of 1987, during the week of Christmas, the darkness inside the Simmons home finally erupted. What unfolded became the largest family mass murder in American history. In this episode, we walk through the days leading up to the killings, the psychological unraveling that no one around him fully saw, and the series of violent attacks that shocked the entire state of Arkansas.

🎧 Credits

Hosts: Darlene Hildreth & Melody Gwyn

Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth

Original Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Produced by: Hard Times and True Crimes Podcast

Find us on Facebook & Instagram: @HardTimesAndTrueCrimes

Sources for This Episode Include:

•Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Archives

•United Press International (UPI) Reports

•Associated Press Coverage, 1987–1990

•State of Arkansas v. Ronald Gene Simmons Court Documents

•Encyclopedia of Arkansas – “Ronald Gene Simmons”

•Time Magazine Archive: “Christmas Killings in Arkansas”

•Academic Analyses on Family Annihilators & Spree Killers

•Local Arkansas retrospective reports and interviews

• newspapers.com
• crime library.org
• findagrave.com

Send us a text

To purchase your merch - email us at hardtimesandtruecrimes@gmail.com with what you want, size, and a shipping address. We can accept Venmo or CashApp

Support the show

hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC