Phoenix, AZ | Three bold, trailblazing women share a quiet Phoenix duplex, until one boards a train to Los Angeles with the other two dead and hidden in her luggage. In 1931, Phoenix was a little-known desert town of 50,000, but this brutal, baffling case put it on the map and continues to raise questions nearly a century later.
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🔎 Want to see how deep this story really goes? Our top sources for this episode include:
-Spirit of Arizona Tours in Phoenix, guided by Jarrod Riddle. https://spiritofarizonatours.com/
-Bommersbach, J. (2003). The trunk murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd (1st trade ed.). Poisoned Pen Press. (Original work published 1992)
-Worel, J. V., & Worel, S. L. (2015). Sammy and Sunny: The story of Hedvig Samuelson, murdered by Winnie Ruth Judd, and the story of Sunny Worel’s search for Sammy. [Self-published].
-Pela, R. L. (2014, September 24). Ruthless: A long-lost confession letter may finally tell the real story of Winnie Ruth Judd. Phoenix New Times. https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/ruthless-a-long-lost-confession-letter-may-finally-tell-the-real-story-of-winnie-ruth-judd-6657689
Additional Sources:
-Arizona Horizon Author Special. (2024, December 24). Season 2024, Episode 257: Criminal case of Winnie Ruth Judd; Arizona Parks and Monuments; T.J. Newman releases thriller. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/video/author-special-w388tp/
-Arizona Memory Project. (n.d.). Anne LeRoi photograph. https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/94283
-Arizona Memory Project. (n.d.). Sammy Samuelson photograph. https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/94272
-Bommersbach, J. (1983). The trunk murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd. (Referenced through AZ Memory Project collections). https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/94269#idx339296
-Jana Bommersbach, longtime journalist, author of 'Trunk Murderess' book, dies at 78. (2024, July 17). Azcentral. Ruelas, R. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2024/07/17/jana-bommersbach-longtime-arizona-journalist-and-author-dies-at-78/74433588007/
-KJZZ Phoenix. (2024). Robrt Pela talks about what he uncovered in the Winnie Ruth Judd case. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJcQh1KTPLk
-L.A. Not So Confidential. (2023, February 8). 127. Vintage Case: The Trunk Murders & Winnie Ruth Judd [Podcast episode]. Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/127-vintage-case-the-trunk-murders-winnie-ruth-judd/id1293032240?i=1000598648335
-Morbid. (n.d.). Winnie Ruth Judd: The Trunk Murderess [Podcast episode]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IAwzmcO7QI
-Trunk murderer wins big court settlement. (1982, December 31). UPI Archives. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/12/31/Trunk-murderer-wins-big-court-settlement/5662410158800/
-Valley 101: The legend of Winnie Ruth Judd, Phoenix's "Trunk Murderess". (2024). Azcentral. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O2UVPxHZBA
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