Some crimes are so heartbreaking or shocking that they change laws, change society or even earn the label crime of the century.

But the stories that made headlines in decades past aren't necessarily remembered today.

I'm Amber Hunt, a journalist in office. aren't necessarily remembered today.

I'm Amber Hunt, a journalist and author, and in each episode of this show I'll examine a case

that's maybe lesser known today, but was huge when it happened.

This is crimes of the centuries. Janet Fais' profile said she was 41 years old, 5 foot 4, and weighed 135 pounds.

It also said she was a good Catholic girl with money in the bank, $7,000 to be exact, which was a good bit in 1948.

And it said Janet was looking for romance.

She found Charles Martin instead,

a man, judging from his letters, who was equally devout and equally

interested in pursuing a romantic relationship. A real one, you know, the forever kind, the

kind that Janet had before she was widowed, before her life

had grown lonely, and it was so hard to meet nice men.

The pair had corresponded a little.

He'd found her name when he'd filled out a few of the advertisements for what were called Lonely Hearts Correspondence

Clubs usually found in women's magazines. These clubs offer to help anyone find a congenial mate.

All you had to do was send pictures in a description and trust that this dependable

confidential service could find you a match for, you know, a nominal fee.

And just like that, via return mail, a list of potential marks was handed to Grifter Charles Martin, a list that included age, status,

without or divorce, and financial circumstances. It was some setup. Charles trusted his ability to charm the ladies into bed and out of their bank accounts.

He'd get rich, they'd get mad, he'd disappear. They'd have learned a costly lesson, but a valuable one.

Before he could start, he had work to do. He had to winnow those lists down, mixing the ones that seemed the least promising, which left him with

...