Episode #01 | 2.13.18

Jerry Lee Lewis: The Killer and Getting Away with Murder

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In This Episode

The night before, Jerry Lee Lewis’ 5th wife died, she made a phone call to her Mom. She told her that she was thinking of leaving the rock and roll pioneer, but that he wouldn’t let her. Then, she made a second call — this one to the sister of her high-school sweetheart, making plans for the sister to come take her away from Jerry Lee later that month. Then… in mid-sentence the phone went dead. The next day, Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis was found dead. Neatly placed on top of a perfectly made bed in the newlywed couple’s guest room. Despite the bruises on her body, the blood under her fingernails, the scratches on her husband’s hands, and the mountain of other physical and anecdotal evidence, the death was ruled an accident. Did Jerry Lee Lewis kill his wife and get away with murder?

Sources

Rolling Stone: The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis

Chicago Tribune: The Killer Says The Wild Times Are Behind Him

Nick Tosches: Hellfire, The Jerry Lee Lewis Story

People Magazine: The Sudden Death of Wife №5 Confronts Jerry Lee Lewis With Tragedy — and Troubling Questions

Disgraceland is a podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. It melds music history, true crime and transgressive fiction. Disgraceland is not journalism. Disgraceland is entertainment. Entertainment inspired by true events. However, certain scenes, characters and names are sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes.

Show Notes

For pics, audio, video and more, check out our show notes blog.

Music

Score by Jake Brennan.

Mixed and Engineered by Sean Cahalin.

Disgraceland theme song, "Crenshaw Space Boogie" written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor.

*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak