In Burbank, there’s a cemetery named for a mythical land of the dead that today is known as the burial place of many famous aviators. It didn’t start out on the up-and-up, however. In our season two finale, Hadley recalls how Valhalla Memorial Park began as a grift, and its criminal legacy still casts a shadow today.This podcast was researched, wri…

His name is forever associated with largest park, and indeed Griffith Park is one of the jewels of the city even today. But that legacy — and the bronze statue standing at the park’s entrance — belie a less-often told story a troubled man who shot his wife in the face.This podcast was researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Follow her on…

One Saturday in December, 1927, Los Angeles was rocked by news of the gruesome murder of a child. A citywide manhunt for the killer quickly spread across state lines, and terrified Angelenos were even more surprised when the culprit turned out to be a 19-year-old who looked more like a Hollywood leading man than a craven villain.Find out more about…

In August of 1935, Robert S. James committed one of the worst-planned murders in the history of Los Angeles, in the process earning himself the nickname "the Rattlesnake Killer" and also revealing a history of previous suspicious deaths.Find out more about Underbelly L.A. on the official website: https://www.underbellyla.comUnderbelly L.A. on Twitt…

In the second installment of our series looking into L.A. criminals who were decidedly not masterminds, Hadley examines Burmah White. Was she a bad girl? Or a good girl led astray by the worst kind of guy?Find out more about Underbelly L.A. on the official website: https://www.underbellyla.comUnderbelly L.A. on Twitter: https://twitter.com/underbel…

The new season of Underbelly L.A. looks not at the city’s criminal masterminds but at the city’s criminal also-rans, who gained infamy in spite of themselves. And we’re kicking off the new run with the story of Hazel Glab, whose amusingly flawed plot for murder made her an early L.A. media star.Find out more about Underbelly L.A. on the official we…

More than the host of Underbelly L.A., Hadley Meares is a journalist, historian, explorer and occasional stand-in for Amy Poehler. As she prepares for the second season of this podcast, she sat down for an interview with Underbelly L.A. producer Drew Mackie about just how a girl from North Carolina comes to love Los Angeles in all its seamy glory.G…