Crime Curious

Toni Jo Henry’s story is one of the most dramatic and tragic in Louisiana true crime history. Born Annie Beatrice McQuiston in Shreveport, she survived a childhood marked by loss, abuse, and poverty before spiraling into addiction and sex work. In 1939, she married prizefighter Claude “Cowboy” Henry—only for him to be arrested soon after and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Determined to break him out, Toni Jo teamed up with accomplice Horace “Arkie” Burks, and their desperate plan led to the robbery and murder of 41‑year‑old Joseph P. Calloway. After three sensational trials, Toni Jo became the only woman ever executed in Louisiana’s electric chair, “Gruesome Gertie,” in 1942. Her case remains infamous for its blend of grit, glamour, and the haunting question of whether she was a cold‑blooded killer or a broken woman chasing love at any cost.

 

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Music By: Michael Drzewiecki
Cover Art By: Charnell

 

 

Wikipedia: Toni Jo Henry, citing O'Shea (1999), Baker (2015), Gillespie (2009) and Nash (1992)

Capital Punishment UK: Toni Jo Henry, A Love Worth Dying For?: most detailed account of the crime, trials, condemned cell and execution

Malefactor's Register: The Tough Life of Toni Jo Henry: Elliot Chaze interview, rumble seat and barbed wire details, unloaded-gun account

The Pardon: Old Articles and Photos: Lake Charles American Press clippings, Feb–Mar 1940

Find a Grave: Toni Jo Henry: birth, parents, burial

Geni: Toni Jo Henry: parents' names

Louisiana Anthology: Toni Jo Henry: siblings

The Cinemaholic: Toni Jo Henry

Murderpedia: Toni Jo Henry

In 2023, Ohio toddler Mackenna Ray became the center of a heartbreaking child‑abuse case that shocked her community. At just two years old, Mackenna endured injuries no child should ever face — yet her story is not one of loss, but of survival. This episode explores the timeline of her abuse, the charges brought against those responsible, and the ongoing efforts to protect Mackenna as she continues to heal. Her case is a stark reminder of how fragile safety can be — and how powerful a community’s determination is when a child needs justice.

 

Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon

Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious
Music By: Michael Drzewiecki
Cover Art By: Charnell

News 5 Cleveland: family asks for justice six months after abuse

News 5 Cleveland: charges filed almost a year later

News 5 Cleveland: trial starts

News 5 Cleveland: mother found guilty

Court TV / Scripps: mother sentenced to 15 years

News 5 Cleveland: Dryer changes plea to guilty

Hoodline: Dryer plea and sentencing date

News 5 Cleveland: Dryer to be sentenced

Cleveland 19: Dryer sentenced to 15 years

Jennifer Kvoriak's posts, via TikTok #JusticeForMakennaRae

In 1916, eighteen‑year‑old Marion Frances Lambert left home on a bitter February morning and never returned. By nightfall, she was found frozen in the snow leaving a mystery in her wake, and a community spiraling into scandal. Her boyfriend, college student Will Orpet, quickly became the prime suspect, igniting one of the most sensational trials of the early 20th century. But Marion’s story didn’t end in the courtroom. For more than a century, drivers along Sheridan Road have reported seeing a girl in white standing at the edge of the trees.

 

Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon

Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious
Music By: Michael Drzewiecki
Cover Art By: Charnell

Chicago Tribune (1916) • The Lake Forester (1916) • The Inter Ocean • The Day Book • Wisconsin State Journal • The New York Times (1916) • Los Angeles Herald • San Francisco Call • People v. Will H. Orpet trial transcripts • Lake County Coroner’s Inquest Records • Find A Grave: Marion Frances Lambert • Lake Forest Cemetery Records • U.S. Census Records (1900 & 1910) • Lake Forest–Lake Bluff Historical Society • Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections • Wisconsin Historical Society Archives • Sheridan Road ghost lore archives.

Before sunrise on a storm‑soaked Texas morning, fitness instructor Terri “Missy” Bevers walked into Creekside Church of Christ to set up for her bootcamp class. Within an hour, she would be dead — and the person responsible would vanish into the darkness, leaving behind one of the most chilling pieces of surveillance footage in true‑crime history.

In this episode, we unravel the haunting timeline of Missy’s final moments and the mysterious figure caught on camera: dressed head‑to‑toe in police‑style tactical gear, wandering the church halls with a hammer, breaking windows, and moving with a strange, unforgettable gait. Was this a staged burglary? A targeted killing? Or something even stranger?

 

Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon

Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious
Music By: Michael Drzewiecki
Cover Art By: Charnell

Killing of Missy Bevers - Wikipedia

Who Killed Fitness Influencer Missy Bevers? | A&E

What Happened to Missy Bevers? The Church Surveillance Footage and Timing Questions That Still Haunt This Unsolved Murder | Read The Real Story

Homicide Investigation Under Way After Woman Found Dead Inside Midlothian Church – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

15 Arrests So Stupid They Made Us Lose Faith In Humanity | Bored Panda

In Victorian England, when poverty and shame collided with a brutal social system, desperate mothers sometimes turned to “baby farmers” — women who promised care, safety, and adoption.… but behind closed doors, infants didn’t survive long. Special thanks to our guest host and all credit for today's episode goes to her- Patreon Tashia! 

Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon

Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious
Music By: Michael Drzewiecki
Cover Art By: Charnell