Residue: A True Crime Podcast

The story of David Rothenberg's survival would eventually reach millions of viewers through the 1988 made-for-television film David. Starring Bernadette Peters as Marie Rothenberg and Matthew Lawrence as David, the film focused not only on the horrific crime that nearly took his life, but also on his extraordinary recovery and the strength he showed in the years that followed.
Sources:
David’s Story by Marie Rothenberg
https://medium.com/mel-magazine/the-boy-that-fire-couldnt-destroy-the-life-and-death-of-dave-dave-aa9332120acf
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-03-20-mn-2215-story.html

Was Sarah Jo Pender a master manipulator who orchestrated a brutal double murder, or was she a young woman caught in a flawed investigation and wrongfully convicted?
One of the most controversial true-crime cases of the 2000s. Sarah Jo Pender was convicted in 2002 for the murders of Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman, a crime prosecutors argued she planned and directed. Dubbed the "female Charles Manson", Pender maintained her innocence throughout her trial and imprisonment. The Lifetime movie She Made Them Do It, starring Jenna Dewan depicted Sarah's story. 
Sources:
https://www.hulu.com/series/5eb21b90-555a-4dc3-9b6c-60c8f7087bd4
She Made Them Do It 
https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/court-of-appeals/2003/12090302-smb.html
https://www.aetv.com/articles/sarah-pender-escaped-prison-many-call-wrongful-conviction

In July 1988, Washington, North Carolina businessman Leith Von Stein was fatally stabbed and bludgeoned in his bed while his wife, Bonnie, was severely injured. The violent crime was initially staged as a burglary but later exposed a twisted conspiracy motivated by a $2 million inheritance.
The chilling true-crime story was famously chronicled in the 1991 bestselling book Cruel Doubt by Joe McGinniss. Cruel Doubt was adapted into a highly rated, two-part television miniseries that premiered on NBC in May 1992 starring Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Sources:
Cruel Doubt by Joe McGuiness
Blood Relatives: Death is in the Air 
https://finishedpages.com/from-patriarch-to-the-small-screen-the-north-carolina-murder-of-leigh-von-stein/
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1991/11/17/two-very-different-tellings-of-the-same-crime/
http://www.theescapist.com/archive-pritchard01.htm
https://law.justia.com/cases/north-carolina/supreme-court/1992/89a90-0.html

We are taking a true crime break this week, but still focusing on a "based on a true story" movie. Mike and Claire Sardina were a real-life Milwaukee husband-and-wife musical duo who formed the popular Neil Diamond tribute act "Lightning & Thunder". Their remarkable true story of soaring success, devastating heartbreak, and perseverance inspired the acclaimed feature film Song Sung Blue (2025). The duo were also the subject of the 2008 documentary of the same name. A story that proves we should all dream big. 
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDukMQIz1Sc
Song Sung Blue the Documentary (2008) 
Song Sung Blue 
https://parade.com/movies/meet-the-real-life-couple-who-inspired-song-sung-blue
https://ew.com/song-sung-blue-true-story-fact-vs-fiction-11876118
https://shepherdexpress.com/film/i-hate-hollywood/lightning-thunder-story/
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/hugh-jackman-kate-hudson-face-backlash-real-family-behind-tribute-band-film
https://archive.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/35103989.html

In this episode, we explore the shocking true story behind the Lifetime film Abducted: The Carlina White Story. A case so unbelievable it sounds fictional, yet every major detail really happened. In 1987, 19-day-old Carlina White was kidnapped from Harlem Hospital in New York City by a woman later identified as Ann Pettway, who raised her under the name Nejdra “Netty” Nance for more than two decades. What makes this story extraordinary is that the case was ultimately solved not by investigators, but by Carlina herself.
Sources:
Beyond the Headlines: The Carlina White Story 
https://nymag.com/news/features/carlina-white-2011-10/
Abducted: The Carlina White Story 
https://allthatsinteresting.com/carlina-white