The Onion Field Incident
Morbid
12/08/25
•80m
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On the night of March 9, 1963, officers Karl Hettinger and Ian Campbell made a traffic stop on the corner of Carlos Avenue and Gower Street and Hollywood. After Campbell instructed both men to step out of the car, the driver, Gregory Powell, pulled out a pistol and held it on Campbell, effectively disarming him, while other man, Jimmy Smith, disarmed Hettinger. The two officers were then forced into Powell’s car and driven more than one hundred miles away, where they executed Ian Campbell, while Hettinger escaped into a nearby onion field and managed to find help at the home of a farmer.
The murder of Ian Campbell in the onion field shocked residents of California, not only because it was so cold-blooded, but also because of how the incident unfolded. By yielding to the demands of their hostage taker and handing over his gun, many people felt that Hettinger was at least partially responsible for Campbell’s death. Powell and Smith were quickly captured, tried, and convicted for the murder, but the consequences of that night in the onion field would have a profound and lasting effect on police policy all over the country for years to come.
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References
Associated Press. 1963. "2 policemen are kidnapped; 1 is slain." Sacramento Bee, 03 11: 1.
Los Angeles Times. 1963. "Cold-blooded slaying of detective re-enacted." Los Angeles Times, March 12: 1.
—. 1963. "Officer slain by accident, says former convict." Los Angeles Times, August 21: 27.
—. 1963. "Pair guilty of slaying policeman." Los Angeles Times, September 5: 1.
—. 1963. "Partner of murdered officer tells of ordeal." Los Angeles Times, March 20: 29.
Malnic, Eric. 1994. "Karl Hettinger; survived 1963 'Onion Field' attack." Los Angeles Times, May 5: A32.
The People v. Gregory Ulas Powell and Jimmy Lee Smith. 1967. 7739 (Supreme Court of California, July 18).
Turan, Kenneth. 1979. "The Onion Field caper." Washington Post, October 13.
United Press International. 1963. "2 thugs admit kidnap-killing." New York Times, March 12: 4.
Waldie, D.J. 2013. "The Onion Field at 50: 'This is about the tragedy of police work'." PBS SoCal, March 11.
Wambaugh, Joseph. 1973.
The Onion Field.
New York, NY: Dell Publishing.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Previous Episode
The Stallings Family Haunting
December 4, 2025
•57m
When Ron and Nancy Stallings found the old Victorian on Evergreen Street in Baltimore, they thought their dreams had come true. With each bringing three kids from a previous marriage into the relationship, they needed to find a house large enough to accommodate their large family, but their limited income made that seem impossible. So, when they learned that the house was being offered at a bargain price, Ron and Nancy didn’t hesitate to put in an offer—a decision they would soon come to regret.
In the years that the Stallings family occupied the home on Evergreen Street, they encountered a variety of paranormal activity, from the faucets and lights turning themselves on and off to the disembodied voices and apparitions of strangers in the home. Rather than be captives in their home to forces they could neither fight nor understand, Ron and Nancy decided to take action to rid themselves of the other worldly presence, but quickly realized they were woefully unprepared for the battle that lay before them.
References
Amodio, Joe. 2005. Echoes from the Grave. Directed by Stuart Taylor. Produced by New Dominion Pictures.
Constable, Pamela. 1979. "Psychics tell of UFO trips, ghiost hunts." Baltimore Sun, February 4: 201.
Geiselman, A.W. 1968. "Weird home happenings plaguing family of 9." The Evening Sun (Baltimore, MD), August 2: C24.
Stallings, Nancy. 1996. Show Me One Soul: A True Haunting. Baltimore, MD: Noble House.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Next Episode
The Yogurt Shop Murders
December 11, 2025
•102m
Just before midnight on December 6, 1991, an Austin, TX patrol officer called in a fire at a yogurt shop and requested firefighters and additional officers. Once they managed to get the fire under control, firefighters discovered the bodies of four teenage girls in the burned out remains of the building, all having been shot execution style and the building torched to cover up the crime.
Almost immediately, investigators on the case ran into a dead end, as leads were scarce and the fire and efforts to extinguish it destroyed or compromised critical evidence. In short time, the case went cold and the residents of Austin moved on. To their surprise, nearly ten years later, Austin detectives announced they’d arrested for young men for the crime, two of whom confessed, and it seemed like, after a long delay, justice would finally be served; however, in this case, justice was still a long way off and when it finally arrived, it came tainted by police misconduct.
References
Associated Press. 1992. "Arrests no relief to families of slain teen-agers." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 23: 43.
Austin American-Statesman. 1999. "American digest quotes of the week." Austin American-Statesman, October 10: 1.
CBS News. 2009. "Deadly encounter." 48 Hours, March 9.
Copelin, Laylan, and Leah Quin. 1999. "Police say 2 confessed to killings at yogurt shop." Austin American-Statesman, October 7: 1.
Gamboa, Suzanne. 1999. "16-year-old told police in 1991 he had weapon." Austin American-Statesman, October 7: 8.
Garcia, Kimberly. 1992. "In the shadow of death." Austin American-Statesman, March 6: 1.
—. 1991. "Profiles of killers released." Austin American-Statesman, December 18: 27.
Haglund, Kerry. 1991. "More than 1 raided shop, police say." Austin American-Statesman, December 10: 1.
—. 1991. "Officials say they have few leads in yogurt shop killings." Austin American-Statesman, December 24: 11.
—. 1991. "Slayings of teens stun friends, families." Austin American-Statesman, December 8: 27.
Hall, Michael. 2001. "Under the Gun." Texas Monthly, Janaury: 94-115.
Lindell, Chuck, and Kerry Haglund. 1991. "The spark of fear." Austin American-Statesman, December 15: 1.
Lowry, Beverly. 2016. Who Killed These Girls: The Unsolved Murders that Rocked a Texas Town. New York, NY: Vintage.
Martinez, Sylvia. 1991. "Teens' violent deaths mourned." Austin American-Statesman, December 9: 1.
Michael Scott v The State of Texas. 2007. PD-0862-05 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, June 6).
Pettaway, Taylor. 2022. Rape, murder of four teen girls in Austin yogurt shop remains unsolved 31 years later. December 12. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Austin-yogurt-shop-killings-17648880.php.
Quin, Leah. 2000. "Video could damage yogurt shop case." Austin American-Statesman, May 31: 1.
Rivera, Dylan. 1999. "'A decent kid' with a new family and a job." Austin American-Statesman, October 7: 8.
Stanley, Dick. 1991. "Robbery may be motive in teens' slayings." Austin American-Statesman, December 8: 1.
Vine, Katy. 2025. "How police finally solved Austin's most notorious cold case." Texas Monthly, October 3.
Ward, Pamela. 1991. "Classmates try to cope with slayings." Austin American-Statesman, December 10: 1.
Wilson, Janet. 1999. "For families, excruciating memories reawakened." Austin American-Statesman, October 7: 1.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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