Murder in My Hometown: Six Weeks of Terror - The San Jose Murders

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

Esther Ludlow

True Crime, Crime, Truecrime, Criminology, History, Criminals

4.6 • 5K Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the fall of 1984, fear took hold of San Jose, California. In just six weeks, six young women vanished or were found murdered — their lives cut short under brutal and mysterious circumstances. As residents watched the headlines mount, few could imagine the horror hiding in plain sight.

Six Weeks of Terror is a gripping true crime story that unravels the chilling timeline of Fernando Cota — a convicted rapist who slipped through the cracks and went on to terrorize a city. A routine traffic stop would crack the case wide open and lead to a horrifying discovery.

Sources:

This episode was originally produced as a Once Upon a Crime Live Show presentation in San Jose, California, in July 2019.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Pack your bags, true crime travelers. Once Upon a Crime is going international.
0:07.0	We're heading to Mexico City and we want you to travel with us. From haunting histories to mouth-watering tacos, we'll be exploring this magical city like locals.
0:17.0	Think vibrant food markets, guided walking tours, hidden gems, and yes, a few eerie tales along the way.
0:23.6	Tickets go on sale Monday, June 16th, for 1950.
0:27.6	But here's the twist. Some lucky early birds will get a special discount.
0:31.6	Want in on that deal? Sign up for our Patreon to get first access to those discounted tickets.
0:42.2	Spaces are limited and trust us, you don't want to miss this once in a lifetime trip.
0:44.9	Get more details about our trip to Mexico City.
0:46.8	There's a link in the show notes. This podcast details true crime cases.
0:58.6	It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of violence.
1:02.4	It is not intended for children.
1:04.3	Listener discretion is advised.
1:17.7	Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime,
1:22.8	and for your continued support of this podcast as we bring season nine to a close.
1:27.0	Over the years, we've traveled to the darkest corners of the true crime world. But today, I'm taking you somewhere much closer to home.
1:31.5	As part of this season's retrospective, I'm revisiting cases that have stayed with me,
1:36.8	ones I've researched, reported on, and in some cases, personally experienced in some way.
1:43.3	This week, I return to a deeply personal series I've titled,
1:47.0	Murder in My Home Town.
1:49.0	Back in season six, I shared the story of Janine Sanchez Harms,
1:54.0	a woman who vanished just steps from my original podcast studio in Campbell, California.
1:59.0	Janine and I shared a surname and unknowingly a piece of the same geography.
	...

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