87. Salem History: The Smiling Widow & The Kiss-and-Tell Cop

Happy Halloween! And welcome to part two of our true crime series. Sarah’s taking the reins on this one and bringing us back to the 1930s, when Fire Captain William Costello was found dead in his Peabody home. His wife Jessie quickly became the prime suspect and the sensational murder trial to follow took place right here in downtown Salem. 

• Coverage of the Costello trial, The Boston Globe, February - August 1933
• McMahon, E. J. (1933). Uncensored testimony of the "cop" who kissed and told : Costello murder trial  Houghton Library, Harvard
• “The Smiling Widow: Jessie Costello” by Jen Ratcliff, Salem State University
• “The Murder Trial of the Century” Peabody Historical Society
• “The Festive Murder Trial of Jessie Costello” New England Historical Society

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Intro/Outro Music from Uppbeat:

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/unfamiliar-faces

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