Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands
- Episodes
- 8
- Format
- Series – listen from the start
- Latest episode
- Sep 23, 2026
About the podcast
Twenty-two-year-old Elma Sands is found murdered in a Manhattan well on January 2nd, 1800. Her lover, wealthy and well-connected Levi Weeks, is accused of the barbaric offense. Weeks brings in the nation’s best legal defense team – none other than Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr – to clear his name while a pandemic-stricken New York City buzzes with scandal.
This six-episode true story unfolds over the unbelievable two-day trial that laid the sexist roots of today’s justice system. Through flashbacks & testimony recreated in modernized language and narrated by Allison Flom, Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands investigates history’s chronic erasure of women and highlights the toils of Catherine Ring, a 27-year-old Quaker woman who took on the nation’s best legal team to preserve her cousin Elma’s name. Starring & Executive Produced by Allison Williams ("Get Out", "Girls") as Catherine Ring, Tony Goldwyn ("Scandal," "Ghost") as Alexander Hamilton, Barry Scheck (Innocence Project Founder) as Aaron Burr, and Jason Flom (Wrongful Conviction) as Judge John Lansing.
Created & Narrated by Allison Flom.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
Episodes 8
Introducing - The Devil's Quarry II
If Season 1 of The Devil’s Quarry was a horror story, Season 2 is a ghost story. More than 30 years after 17-year-old Robin Murphy vanished from Carmel, New York, investigative journalist Paul Solotaroff and …
Show notes
If Season 1 of The Devil’s Quarry was a horror story, Season 2 is a ghost story.
More than 30 years after 17-year-old Robin Murphy vanished from Carmel, New York, investigative journalist Paul Solotaroff and reporter Kathleen Horan plunge into the cold case that has haunted the community for decades. Robin was last seen with a convicted violent predator who was never charged in her disappearance. Now, as the original case file is reopened, new witnesses emerge, old evidence is reconsidered, and the search for Robin enters its most critical chapter. Can the truth finally be uncovered before time runs out? Or will one of New York’s most haunting mysteries remain a ghost story forever?
Award-winning investigative journalist and longtime Rolling Stone Magazine contributor Paul Solotaroff hosts the latest entry in the acclaimed Bone Valley anthology: The Devil's Quarry II starting September 30.
Listeners can listen ad-free by subscribing to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Bone Valley Season 6: The Devil’s Quarry II is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 6 |The Verdict...
The Court has heard from seventy five witnesses. Aaron Burr makes a closing statement for the defense; Colden makes a final plea to the judge, then cracks from exhaustion. Levi’s brother Ezra is further …
Show notes
The Court has heard from seventy five witnesses. Aaron Burr makes a closing statement for the defense; Colden makes a final plea to the judge, then cracks from exhaustion. Levi’s brother Ezra is further implicated in the crime. In flashbacks, Elma prepares to say her vows; the lawyers prepare for trial. The verdict is announced.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is available wherever you get your podcasts. To hear all six episodes right now, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 5 | The Anxiety...
The lawyers interrogate the likelihood of Ezra and Levi going to the Manhattan Well after tea with the McCombs. An expert measurer, who visited Levi in jail before the trial, speaks on the Weeks Brothers’ …
Show notes
The lawyers interrogate the likelihood of Ezra and Levi going to the Manhattan Well after tea with the McCombs. An expert measurer, who visited Levi in jail before the trial, speaks on the Weeks Brothers’ behalf. Ezra Weeks’ relationship to the murder site is deeper than anyone realized. Elma’s reputation is called into question. Plus, the defense lawyer's questions shed new light on Richard Croucher’s infatuation with Elma.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is released weekly, every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. To hear all six episodes right now, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 4 | The Tea...
An explosive secret from a Greenwich Street neighbor reveals that Elma’s home environment was different than her cousin described it. An unconventional testimony takes Colden by surprise, and he’s powerless …
Show notes
An explosive secret from a Greenwich Street neighbor reveals that Elma’s home environment was different than her cousin described it. An unconventional testimony takes Colden by surprise, and he’s powerless over the barrage of doctors that Burr and Hamilton call to the witness stand. Colden turns the jury’s attention to Levi’s brother Ezra Weeks.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is released weekly, every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. To hear all six episodes right now, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 3 | The Injuries...
Men’s Lunch on January 2nd, 1800 was interrupted when four men and a child discovered Elma’s mangled corpse in the Manhattan Well. Catherine Ring displayed Elma’s body outside their home on Greenwich Street, to …
Show notes
Men’s Lunch on January 2nd, 1800 was interrupted when four men and a child discovered Elma’s mangled corpse in the Manhattan Well. Catherine Ring displayed Elma’s body outside their home on Greenwich Street, to show the world the damages and demand justice. Colden calls two expert witnesses to analyze the wounds on the corpse, hoping to close his case on a high note. Plus, the jurors make a request for something that’s never been done before.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is released weekly, every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. To hear all six episodes right now, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 2 | The Screams...
Colden scrambles to debunk the suicide theory, calling witnesses who heard Elma’s screams the night of the murder. The defense team implicates Elma’s uncle Elias Ring in her death. Plus, a hectic interrogation …
Show notes
Colden scrambles to debunk the suicide theory, calling witnesses who heard Elma’s screams the night of the murder. The defense team implicates Elma’s uncle Elias Ring in her death. Plus, a hectic interrogation of the murder site - Burr’s company’s well on land that he owns - which became notorious the moment Elma’s body was pulled out of water.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is released weekly, every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. To hear all six episodes right now, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1 | The First Murder Trial...
Welcome to the first murder trial in the American judicial system; it’s March 31, 1800 and you are here. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr defend their client, Levi Weeks, who’s been charged with the beating …
Show notes
Welcome to the first murder trial in the American judicial system; it’s March 31, 1800 and you are here. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr defend their client, Levi Weeks, who’s been charged with the beating and murder of his girlfriend Elma Sands. In this episode, Elma’s cousin recounts the night of the murder. Elma’s uncle creates chaos in the courtroom. Several boarders from their house testify about Elma, and a theory emerges that could ruin the prosecution’s case.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is released weekly, every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. To hear all six episodes right now, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Introducing - Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands
Twenty-two-year-old Elma Sands is found murdered in a Manhattan well on January 2nd, 1800. Her lover, wealthy and well-connected Levi Weeks, is accused of the barbaric offense. Weeks brings in the nation’s best …
Show notes
Twenty-two-year-old Elma Sands is found murdered in a Manhattan well on January 2nd, 1800. Her lover, wealthy and well-connected Levi Weeks, is accused of the barbaric offense. Weeks brings in the nation’s best legal defense team – none other than Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr – to clear his name while a pandemic-stricken New York City buzzes with scandal. This six-episode true story unfolds over the unbelievable two-day trial that laid the sexist roots of today’s justice system. Through flashbacks & testimony recreated in modernized language and narrated by Allison Flom, Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands investigates history’s chronic erasure of women and highlights the toils of Catherine Ring, a 27-year-old Quaker woman who took on the nation’s best legal team to preserve her cousin Elma’s name. Starring & Executive Produced by Allison Williams ("Get Out", "Girls") as Catherine Ring, Tony Goldwyn ("Scandal," "Ghost") as Alexander Hamilton, Barry Scheck (Innocence Project Founder) as Aaron Burr, and Jason Flom (Wrongful Conviction) as Judge John Lansing.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is released weekly, starting next Wednesday, October 18th, wherever you get your podcasts. Or, to hear all six episodes right now, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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