Murder, She Told

1946 - Brockton, Massachusetts. On the morning of December 28, 1946, the Brockton, Massachusetts police arrived at a crime scene that would soon captivate the region. The press called it the Christmas Tree Murder-the brutal killing of 35-year-old Rene Cote. Rene had no shortage of enemies. Among them was a so-called friend now sitting in jail, charged with his murder. Yet, investigators felt they were missing key pieces of the story. Rene's wife, Bertha Surprise Cote, whose beauty had captured the attention of the public, kept changing her account of what happened that night. Was she protecting a man she secretly loved from the death penalty? Or was she hiding something far more sinister? This is part two of the “Christmas Tree” murder of Rene Cote, a case that led to one of the most sensational trials in Massachusetts history. Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/bertha-cote-2 Support the show: https://www.murdershetold.com/support Instagram: @murdershetoldpodcast TikTok: @murdershetold Facebook: /mstpodcast Website: murdershetold.com ----- Sponsors: Masterclass: Get up to 50% off at masterclass.com/SHETOLD One Skin: Get 15% off your order at https://www.oneskin.co with the code SHETOLD  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1946 - Brockton, Massachusetts. In the early morning hours of December 28, 1946, Brockton Police were called to a grisly scene at the Cote family apartment: Beside an overturned Christmas tree, amid shattered ornaments and tinsel, lay the bloodied body of 35-year-old Rene Cote. His wife, Bertha Surprise Cote, claimed that two men had broken in and brutally beaten her husband to death. The police couldn’t overlook the couple’s turbulent history—marked by infidelity, crime, and violent disputes—but Rene’s reputation had earned him no shortage of enemies. The list of potential suspects seemed endless. Just when investigators believed they’d identified the perpetrator, a cold-blooded killer surfaced—hidden in plain sight. Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/bertha-cote-1 Support the show: https://www.murdershetold.com/support Instagram: @murdershetoldpodcast TikTok: @murdershetold Facebook: /mstpodcast Website: murdershetold.com ----- Sponsors: HoneyLove: Get 20% OFF at honeylove.com/SHETOLD Jenni Kayne: Get 15% off with code SHETOLD15 at jennikayne.com/SHETOLD15 Masterclass: Get up to 50% off at masterclass.com/SHETOLD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1987 - Saline County, Arkansas. This is a preview of The Trail Went Cold’s coverage of the murders of Don Henry and Kevin Ives, also known as The Boys on the Tracks. The Trail Went Cold, created and hosted by Robin Warder, released a two-part episode about this convoluted case (that was featured on the original Unsolved Mysteries) for their five-year anniversary show in 2021. You can find the rest of the story at episode 213 and 214. Subscribe to The Trail Went Cold wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting their website at https://www.trailwentcold.com. August 23, 1987. Saline County Arkansas. 16-year old Don Henry and 17-year old Kevin Ives head into the woods to do some late-night hunting, but never return. Hours later, the two boys are seen lying on some railroad tracks before they are run over by a cargo train and the medical examiner concludes they had fallen asleep after smoking marijuana and their deaths were accidental. However, Don and Kevin’s families push for a new investigation, which uncovers evidence that they were violently attacked before their bodies were placed on the tracks. Throughout the years, a number of conspiracy theories emerge to suggest the boys were murdered as part of a cover-up involving drug trafficking, but no one is ever charged with the crime. The Boys on the Tracks, Part 1: https://www.trailwentcold.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-213-the-boys-on-the-track-part-1/ The Boys on the Tracks, Part 2: https://www.trailwentcold.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-214-the-boys-on-the-track-part-2/ Kim Benoit and Cynthia 'Rocky' Krizack: https://www.trailwentcold.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-401-kim-benoit-and-cynthia-rocky-krizack/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1975 - Washington, Maine. On a chilly November morning, just two days before Thanksgiving in 1975, 25-year-old Ludger Belanger kissed his wife, Linda, goodbye, and ventured into the snowy woods of rural Maine in search of a buck. He never returned. A devoted father of three young children, Ludger wasn’t the kind of man to abandon his family—Linda knew that much for certain. Though on the surface it seemed like he vanished without a trace, tracks in the snow led investigators to a crucial piece of evidence and into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with two men who might know exactly where to find him. This holiday season marks 49 years since Ludger’s disappearance, yet his family has never stopped searching. This is the story of the disappearance of Ludger Belanger. If you have information on the disappearance of Ludger Belanger, please contact the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit Central at (207) 624-7143 or toll free at 1800-452-4664. You can also leave a tip here. Read the book Open Season: https://amzn.to/4ftL8EO Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/ludger-belanger Support the show: https://www.murdershetold.com/support Instagram: @murdershetoldpodcast TikTok: @murdershetold Facebook: /mstpodcast Website: murdershetold.com ----- Sponsors: One Skin: Get 15% off your order at https://www.oneskin.co with the code SHETOLD HoneyLove: Get up to 50% off site wide at honeylove.com/SHETOLD Jenni Kayne: Get 25% off your first order through the end of Nov. at jennikayne.com/SHETOLD15 with code SHETOLD15. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices